Northern Scotland Research Articles

School exclusion policies across the UK: convergence and divergence

ABSTRACT Previous comparative research has revealed recent high and rising school exclusion rates in England and a contrasting picture of much lower and reducing rates in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. In this paper, we examine findings from new research into school exclusion policies across the four countries of the UK. This interrogates for the first time how the problem of ‘school exclusion’ is framed within these four distinct policy contexts. We take up the question of how policy levers and drivers may shape patterns and trends in permanent exclusion and suspension/temporary exclusion. This analysis reveals that, despite broad agreement in policy on a need to reduce exclusion and increase equity across the UK jurisdictions, there are diverging policy stances on the purposes of exclusion, responsibilities of schools and the role of the state overall in bringing about change. We conclude that deeper critical engagement with policy contexts is a vital element in understanding the persistence of school exclusion itself but also the differential rates of exclusion across the UK.

Potential for large losses of carbon from non-native conifer plantations on deep peat over decadal timescales

Peatland drainage is a large source of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. While conversion to agriculture is widely acknowledged to lead to “irrecoverable” carbon (C) losses, in contrast the C impacts of peatland forestry are poorly understood, especially in intensively managed plantations. Losses of C from peat oxidation are highly variable and can be compensated for by gains of C in trees, depending on the lifecycle of the timber and timescale considered. Here, we used ITRAX scanning to enable rapid detection of the Hekla 4 cryptotephra layer as a reliable chronological marker above which peat properties and C stocks could be compared between open and afforested blanket bog cores in the Flow Country of Northern Scotland. At one site, Bad a’ Cheò, we combine replicated core pair comparisons (n = 19) with timber extraction data to derive net ecosystem C balance over the lifetime of the plantation. Here the reduction in peat C carbon storage above Hekla 4 in afforested samples (67 t C ha−1) is only partially compensated by tree C sequestration (47 t C ha−1), leading to a net ecosystem C balance indicating a loss of 20 t C ha−1 over the 50 years since the plantation was established. At that site, ∼65 % of tree C rapidly returned to the atmosphere, as it was primarily used for heat and power generation. Across the wider Flow country region, a simplified paired sampling method was adopted at eight further sites, finding a either a loss or negligible change in peat C storage above Hekla 4 in afforested samples with a mean loss of 86 t C ha−1 and median loss of 50 t C ha−1. This study suggests that potentially substantial C losses have been an unintended consequence of non-native conifer afforestation over deep blanket bogs.

Was the Stonehenge Altar Stone from Orkney? Investigating the mineralogy and geochemistry of Orcadian Old Red sandstones and Neolithic circle monuments

Recent petrological, mineralogical and geochemical investigations of the Stonehenge Altar Stone have negated its source in the Old Red Sandstone (ORS) Anglo-Welsh Basin. Further, it has been suggested that it is time to look wider, across northern Britain and Scotland, especially in areas where geological and geochemical evidence concur, and there is evidence of Neolithic communities and their monuments. In this context the islands of Orkney, with its rich Neolithic archaeology, are an obvious area worthy of investigation. The same techniques applied to investigations of the Altar Stone and ORS sequences in southern Britain have been applied to two major Neolithic monuments on Mainland Orkney, namely the Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar. In addition, field samples of ORS lithologies from the main stratigraphic horizons on Mainland Orkney have been investigated.Portable XRF analyses of the five exposed stones at the Stones of Stenness and seven of the exposed stones at the Ring of Brodgar show a wide range of compositions, having similar compositions to field samples analysed from both the Lower and Upper Stromness Flagstone formations, with the stones at Stenness appearing to have been sourced from the Upper Stromness Flagstone Formation while the Ring of Brodgar stones possibly being sourced from both formations. Examination of the mineralogy of ORS field samples and the Stonehenge Altar Stone, using a combination of X-ray diffraction, microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and automated SEM-EDS shows there to be no match between the Orkney samples and the Altar Stone. Only two samples from Orkney showed the presence of baryte, a characteristic mineral of the Altar Stone. Another key discriminant is the presence of abundant detrital K-feldspar in all of the Orkney field samples, a mineral which has only very low abundance in the Altar Stone. In addition, the regularly interstratified dioctahedral/dioctahedral smectite mineral tosudite is present in the clay mineral assemblage of the Altar Stone, but not detected in the Orkney samples.It is concluded that the Altar Stone was not sourced from Mainland Orkney, despite considerable evidence for long-distance communications between Orkney and Stonehenge around 3000/2900 BCE.

1105. Anacamptis pyramidalis (L.) Rich.: Orchidaceae

SummaryAnacamptis pyramidalis (pyramidal orchid) is illustrated here. It is a widespread, mostly temperate European species (absent from northern Scotland and much of Scandinavia), extending into south‐western Asia and North Africa. A detailed description is provided, with notes on cytology, habitat and cultivation. It is collected in the eastern Mediterranean for salep production, but, given its wide distribution, this harvest is unlikely to have an impact on its global conservation status.

Mandibular movement monitor provides faster, yet accurate diagnosis for obstructive sleep apnoea: A randomised controlled study

Many patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) remain undiagnosed and thus untreated, and in part this relates to delay in diagnosis. Novel diagnostic strategies may improve access to diagnosis. In a multicentre, randomised study, we evaluated time to treatment decision in patients referred for suspected OSA, comparing a mandibular movement (MM) monitor to respiratory polygraphy, the most commonly used OSA detection method in the UK. Adults with high pre-test probability OSA were recruited from both northern Scotland and London. 40 participants (70 % male, mean±SD age 46.8 ± 12.9 years, BMI 36.9 ± 7.5 kg/m2, ESS 14.9 ± 4.1) wore a MM monitor and respiratory polygraphy simultaneously overnight and were randomised (1:1) to receive their treatment decision based on results from either device. Compared to respiratory polygraphy, MM monitor reduced time to treatment decision by 6 days (median(IQR): 13.5 (7.0–21.5) vs. 19.5 (13.7–35.5) days, P = 0.017) and saved an estimated 29 min of staff time per patient.

Among-species variation in six decades of changing migration timings explained through ecology, life-history and local migratory abundance.

Species exploiting seasonal environments must alter timings of key life-history events in response to large-scale climatic changes in order to maintain trophic synchrony with required resources. Yet, substantial among-species variation in long-term phenological changes has been observed. Advancing from simply describing such variation towards predicting future phenological responses requires studies that rigorously quantify and explain variation in the direction and magnitude of changing timings across diverse species in relation to key ecological and life-history variables. Accordingly, we fitted multi-quantile regressions to 59 years of multi-species data on spring and autumn bird migration timings through northern Scotland. We demonstrate substantial variation in changes in timings among 72 species, and tested whether such variation can be explained by species ecology, life-history and changes in local abundance. Consistent with predictions, species that advanced their migration timing in one or both seasons had more seasonally restricted diet types, fewer suitable breeding habitat types, shorter generation lengths and capability to produce multiple offspring broods per year. In contrast, species with less seasonally restricted diet types and that produce single annual offspring broods, showed no change. Meanwhile, contrary to prediction, long-distance and short-distance migrants advanced migration timings similarly. Changes in migration timing also varied with changes in local migratory abundance, such that species with increasing seasonal abundance apparently altered their migration timing, whilst species with decreasing abundance did not. Such patterns broadly concur with expectation given adaptive changes in migration timing. However, we demonstrate that similar patterns can be generated by numerical sampling given changing local abundances. Any apparent phenology-abundance relationships should, therefore, be carefully validated and interpreted. Overall, our results show that migrant bird species with differing ecologies and life-histories showed systematically differing phenological changes over six decades contextualised by large-scale environmental changes, potentially facilitating future predictions and altering temporal dynamics of seasonal species co-occurrences.

O&M-aware techno-economic assessment for floating offshore wind farms: A geospatial evaluation off the North Sea and the Iberian Peninsula

The development of accurate techno-economic models is crucial to boost the commercialisation of floating offshore wind farms. However, conventional techno-economic models oversimplify operation and maintenance (O&M) aspects, neglecting key maintenance factors, such as component failure rates, metocean conditions, repair times, maintenance vessels and ports. To address this limitation, this paper presents an O&M-aware techno-economic model that comprehensively incorporates the most relevant maintenance factors and evaluates their impacts on site-identification across the North Sea and the Iberian Peninsula based on diverse O&M strategies. Results reveal that operational expenditure can contribute significantly to the levelised cost of energy, ranging from 22% to 50% in the North Sea and 19% to 46% in the Iberian Peninsula. Furthermore, results demonstrate that suitable sites vary based on O&M strategy: preventive strategies favour areas with abundant wind resources like northern Scotland, Norway and Galicia, whereas corrective strategy prioritise sites with less severe metocean conditions, such as southern Scotland and extensive regions in the Mediterranean Sea, including the Gulf of Roses and the Alboran Sea. Finally, the downtime of turbines, an aspect traditionally neglected in techno economic frameworks, emerges as a key factor for accurate techno-economic assessment and site-identification.

Provenance response to evolving palaeogeography recorded by Carboniferous sandstones in the northern Pennine Basin, UK

On the basis of a combination of heavy mineral data, provenance-sensitive heavy mineral indices, garnet major element chemistry, rutile trace element chemistry and zircon U–Pb geochronology, six major changes in sandstone provenance during Carboniferous deposition in the northern Pennine Basin, UK, have been recognised. These changes are a manifestation of both tectonic and climatic factors. The earliest Tournaisian sediment was supplied from the local Southern Uplands High, but the increasingly humid climate led to the establishment of the Pennine River system, which introduced northerly-derived sediment from farther afield in the mid Tournaisian. This system was operative until the mid Bolsovian, but shows stratigraphic variations due to changes in input from different parts of the Pennine River hinterland (East Greenland, northern Scotland, western Norway). These variations are believed to be at least partly related to tectonism, since the maximum supply from high-grade metamorphic sources in East Greenland in the Namurian was concurrent with a tectonically-driven change in drainage direction in this part of the northern sourcelands. In addition, at the base of the Visean, there was a temporary influx of mature sediment coincident with a climatically-driven regression and, at the base of the Duckmantian, sediment was briefly introduced from the west as a far-field manifestation of Alleghanian tectonism. Finally, continued uplift of the Variscan mountain belt to the south of the UK led to establishment of northward-directed transport systems that reached the northern Pennine Basin in the mid-Bolsovian, leading totermination of supply from the Pennine River.

Analysis of trends and abrupt changes in groundwater and meteorological droughts in the United Kingdom

In recent years, the escalating impact of climate change, coupled with growing concerns regarding groundwater drought, has underscored the critical importance of analyzing hydrological trends. This is a foundational step in advancing effective water resource planning and management. This study presents a regional investigation of groundwater and meteorological droughts in the UK, utilizing the Standardized Groundwater Index (SGI) and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). The analysis encompasses drought duration and an evaluation of the correlation between the SGI and SPI. Subsequently, the seasonal Mann-Kendall (MK) test and the Bayesian Changepoint Detection and Time Series Decomposition (BEAST) algorithm were employed to assess overall trends for both SGI and SPI. Additionally, these methods were utilized to pinpoint trend and seasonal abrupt changes within the time series of both indices.The seasonal MK test revealed statistically significant trends in many SGI stations across the UK, spanning from Northern Scotland down to the South of England, encompassing both increasing and decreasing trends. Additionally, the MK test showed slightly positive trends at the low SPI time scale, though these were not statistically significant. In contrast, more consistent and significant increasing trends were observed throughout the entire UK, except for Northern Scotland, which exhibited negative trends. Despite indications of a progressively more humid UK, the BEAST analysis enabled the detection of decreasing abrupt changes in trends. These changes result in sudden transitions from wet to dry conditions, which can be challenging to identify using the MK test alone. However, BEAST revealed both positive and negative abrupt changes across the entire UK, as well as positive or negative variations in seasonality. This suggests a high degree of variability in seasonal patterns. In summary, this study provides a detailed assessment of groundwater and meteorological drought trends and abrupt changes, considering the impact of climate change on various regions of the UK.

Social Disability as Disaster: Case Studies of the COVID-19 Pandemic on People Living with Disabilities

Social disability is a process or event that significantly disrupts, paralyzes, or prevents the formation and/or sustaining of interpersonal social relations required for meeting human needs. When prolonged, the ‘disabling’ of essential human interrelationships can have a destructive impact. This is especially true in communities where people are highly interdependent and where individuals living with disabilities rely upon social relationships to prevent isolation and decline in overall wellbeing. Meanwhile, disaster response systems have developed to first rescue or protect individuals’ ‘bare life’ and immediate, bodily needs. We argue that these systems, intended to mitigate disaster, can exacerbate social disability as a kind of collateral damage. We explore this problem as it unfolded amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in two research sites: one located in rural, northern Scotland and another located in rural, Midwestern United States. The Scottish research focuses on experiences, causes and risks of social disability for adults living with disabilities within a small rural community, while the U.S. research focuses on emergence of and resistance to social disability among residents of a continuing care retirement community for 55+ aged adults. We conclude with implications and recommendations for disaster intervention and future research.

Blanket bog vegetation response to wildfire and drainage suggests resilience to low severity, infrequent burning

BackgroundIn 2019, a wildfire impacted an area of blanket bog and wet heath > 60 km2 in the Flow Country peatlands of northern Scotland, a site of global significance. Unusually the footprint of the wildfire included discrete areas of degraded, restored, and near-natural blanket bogs. Following the wildfire, we surveyed vegetation in 387 quadrats in burnt and unburnt areas. The study aimed to determine whether and how proximity to human-made drains and microtopography affected fire-vegetation interactions and included older wildfire sites and unburnt control sites for context.ResultsOverall, our study suggests that the 2019 Flow Country wildfire caused mostly superficial burning; except in the most degraded area, which burned more severely and where we recorded more profound impacts on the vegetation. We found higher cover of litter, which in turn led to increased localized fire damage in quadrats close to drains compared with quadrats away from the influence of drains. We also found greater fire impacts (e.g., proportions of moss burnt and Sphagnum discoloration) on hummocks, particularly where they were higher relative to the hollows. Overall, vegetation both near and away from drains largely resembled nearby unburnt sites within 20 years.ConclusionsOverall, our study suggests that the 2019 Flow Country wildfire caused mostly superficial burning, except in the most degraded areas. Vegetation communities of blanket bogs associated with conservation and restoration areas in the region appear to be largely resilient to occasional, low severity wildfires. This implies that management interventions that maintain wet conditions in peatlands have the potential to help reduce the risks of severe wildfires.

Comparing the effects of ground cultivation and protection against browsing upon the natural regeneration of Scots pine and birch in a Caledonian pinewood

Abstract The Caledonian pinewoods of northern Scotland represent the remnants of once extensive forests found at the western edge of the natural range of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). The surviving pinewoods are of international significance and are of high conservation and cultural value. However, for many decades, there has been concern about their long-term future because of a lack of regenerating seedlings and young trees. This problem is thought to be driven by high deer populations resulting in intensive browsing and severe damage to young trees, as well as a lack of favourable micro-sites for seedling germination. An experiment was established on the Mar Lodge estate in 2007–08 adjacent to native pinewood stands to test the effects of protection and site cultivation upon seedling numbers and growth. The experiment was located within a regeneration zone where intensive deer control had reduced numbers to <5 animals km−2. Ten years after initiation, occurrence and numbers of both Scots pine and birch seedlings were substantially increased in cultivated treatments compared with uncultivated controls. There were no effects of protection upon seedling numbers. Protection improved height growth of Scots pine, but not of birch. Cultivation had no effect upon the growth of pine seedlings but did influence the height of birch seedlings due to the rapid growth of some pre-existing seedlings in the uncultivated control. Vegetation cover had increased from ~60%to at least 80% cover 6 years after cultivation. The results suggest that site cultivation may be desirable to boost seedling germination within a Caledonian pinewood, but sustained measures to control browsing pressure are a prerequisite for satisfactory establishment of these seedlings.

Кельтская триада: кинематографии британских национальных меньшинств и «внутренний колониализм»

The global success, both in viewership and expert community, of auteur feature films Belfast, directed by Kenneth Branagh, and The Banshees of Inisherin, directed by Martin McDonagh, and produced by independent Northern Irish companies in 2022–2023, prompts a closer examination of the challenges faced by the national minority cinemas of Great Britain. Specifically, we focus on the culturally and linguistically related regions of Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, collectively referred to in this article as the Celtic Triad, which represent a significant presence in the world cinema landscape. A number of British film historians and sociologists argue that national film industries are on the verge of survival, highlighting two main trends in the context of national cinema: inclusivity and sovereignty. From the perspective of the dominant ethnic group and its major production companies, inclusivity entails assimilation into the mainstream, while sovereignty involves preserving distinct national cultural characteristics. The representatives of national minorities are striving to safeguard these characteristics in the face of what American sociologist Michael Hechter termed internal colonialism—a policy implemented by the dominant Anglo-Saxon ethnic group towards cultures of national minorities and expressed in their marginalization and Anglification. A negative consequence of these dynamics, according to Hechter, is ethnocentrism, that is, the prevalence of one’s own culture in shaping perceptions of the world. Nevertheless, as this article demonstrates, the strategies employed by the Celtic Triad in pursuit of economic independence and artistic self-determination not only ensure the survival of national cinema but also establish its distinct sovereignty and success beyond the borders of Great Britain. Television broadcasting in national languages, which has gained popularity with the advent of digital broadcasting, plays a significant role in this process. An important contributing factor here is the economic and socio-cultural collaborations of these cinemas with both domestic and international partners, relying primarily on the influence of soft power and implying adaptation not only by adjusting to them, but also by active interchange and cross-fertilization of cultures.

A comparison of ligatures on gravestones in Scotland, Northern Germany and the French Basque region

Although ligatures have a long history and can be found on a range of artefacts, they are particularly characteristic of gravestone inscriptions of the 17th and 18th centuries in several parts of Western Europe. The grouping of two or more letters as a ligature can be attributed to minimising mason’s costs and workload, or stone brittleness, but it is suggested that their function was primarily a space-saving device. This research, based solely on statistical analysis, suggests that there may be other, possibly more common, reasons as to why they were employed in gravestone inscriptions. Ligatures have an uneven distribution throughout Western Europe. They are especially frequent in gravestone inscriptions from north and south-west Scotland, Northern Germany and the French Basque region. These areas were selected for analysis. Ligatures were recorded from 36 sites in northern and south-western Scotland, 35 sites in Northern Germany and 24 sites in the French Basque region. Frequencies at each site were calculated. The most common ligature in Scotland and north Germany was HE and in the French Basque region it was DE. All ligature frequencies were compared with the frequencies of bigrams in English, German and French to determine whether or not this influenced their frequency in gravestone inscriptions. It was found that there was no evidence of correlation between gravestone ligatures and bigrams in any of the three languages. The possible reasons for the use of ligatures are discussed.

Scottish Northerners in Alba Amicorum, c. 1540–c. 1720

The present article draws together two seemingly irreconcilable threads: firstly, the perceived and stereotyped violent, retrograde and inward-looking northern Scot and, secondly, the lettered world of humanist Europeans on the move as encapsulated in the tradition of alba amicorum (friendship albums). By reconciling these seemingly antinomic worlds of northern Scotland and humanist, scholarly culture, alba help redefine and nuance these Highlanders' and northern Scots' identity, culture, and character, which are more in line with these qualities associated with the world of alba, attesting to this group of Scottish northerners' integration into the intellectual and humanist networks then present in Europe. For these individuals, theirs was a Gaelic and/or Scots culture and its appreciation which was complemented with an awareness of and a thirst for a Latinate and Classical culture and an openness to a European and word culture, by playing tourist on the Continent and being receptive to this new and foreign environment. Far from being impervious to other cultures, they opened themselves to these and welcomed foreign visitors. The roles were reversed and, in turn, they acted as guides to these tourists visiting Scotland and their communities. Through alba, it is possible to gain a better understanding of early tourism in Scotland and of tourist sites in northern Scotland, putting them not only in a national context but also an international framework.

Biological Flora of Britain and Ireland:Geranium pratense

AbstractThis account presents information on all aspects of the biology ofGeranium pratenseL. (Meadow Crane's‐Bill). The main topics are presented within the standard framework of theBiological Flora of Britain and Ireland: distribution, habitat, communities, responses to biotic factors, responses to environment, structure and physiology, phenology, floral and seed characters, herbivores and disease, history and conservation.Geranium pratenseis a perennial gynodioecious forb of neutral grassland. In Britain and Ireland, it is particularly abundant on roadside verges, railway embankments, the margins of watercourses and woodland rides. It is generally intolerant of grazing and is absent or scarce in livestock‐grazed grassland.Geranium pratenseis widespread in England, Wales and Scotland but is scarce in Ireland. It has an extensive native range in Europe and Asia, extending eastwards to Russia, north‐western China and Mongolia. It has been widely introduced to new sites within its native range and has been introduced to Canada, the USA and New Zealand.Geranium pratenseusually occurs on free‐draining soils but also infrequently where drainage is impeded. The soils are often nutrient‐rich and weakly acidic to weakly alkaline. The underlying geology is usually non‐acidic sedimentary rocks or superficial deposits.Geranium pratenseis protandrous and is pollinated by various insects of the orders Hymenoptera, Diptera and Lepidoptera, particularly bumblebees, solitary bees, hoverflies and butterflies. Eleven species of phytophagous insect have been recorded onG. pratensein Britain and Ireland.Geranium pratensehas little or no capacity for vegetative spread. Primary seed dispersal is ballistic and seeds may be flung over distances of up to several metres. The species has a transient seed bank, that is germination typically takes place in the winter and spring after seed production, after the physically dormant seeds have become permeable. Seedling establishment is higher in vegetation‐free gaps than in undisturbed grassland vegetation.There has been no significant change in its distribution between the late 1950s and 2019, although since 2000, it has expanded its range, mainly via introductions, in northern and western Scotland, west Wales and in Ireland. Alien sites have increased markedly since the 1960s due to introductions from wildflower seed sowing and spread from gardens.

Migrations, Destinations and Breeding of Eurasian Curlews Numenius arquata arquata that Spend the Non-Breeding Season in Northern Scotland

Migrations, Destinations and Breeding of Eurasian Curlews Numenius arquata arquata that Spend the Non-Breeding Season in Northern Scotland

Epidemiology of a Hybrid Swarm: Evidence of 11 Feline Infectious Agents Circulating in a Population of Sympatric European Wildcat Hybrids and Free-Living Domestic Cats, in Scotland

Hybridisation between wild and domestic species poses a serious challenge to conservation management and can, potentially, lead to extinction. Alongside it, disease transmission will inevitably occur. However, the link between these two phenomena has historically been neglected. In Scotland, the European wildcat is particularly threatened by hybridisation with the domestic cat, a process promoted by long-term habitat loss, human encroachment, and persecution. Between 2015 and 2019, free-living cats (n = 120) were captured in six conservation priority areas of northern Scotland. Samples were collected for infectious disease screening (feline immunodeficiency virus, feline leukaemia virus, feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus, Chlamydia felis, Mycoplasma felis, Bordetella bronchiseptica, Mycoplasma haemofelis, Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum, Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis, and Tritrichomonas foetus) and genetic analysis. Polymerase chain reaction and reverse transcriptionPCR were used to detect infectious DNA or RNA, respectively. The hybrid score (Q) for each individual cat was determined using a 35-SNP-marker test. Statistical analysis investigated the association between Q and probability of infection, accounting for spatial clustering. The results confirmed the presence of 11 infectious agents circulating in the free-living cat population of northern Scotland, which consists of a hybrid swarm between F. silvestris and F. catus. For eight of them (feline leukaemia virus, feline herpesvirus C. felis, B. bronchiseptica, M. felis, M. haemofelis, Ca. M. haemominutum, and T. foetus), there was no significant association between infection probability and Q, supporting our hypothesis that the hybrid swarm may be functioning as a single epidemiological unit. Considering the impact of infectious diseases on health, welfare, and population dynamics of domestic cats, their presence in the extremely fragile and hybridised population of F. silvestris in Scotland could be population limiting or, potentially, contribute to local extinction. Comprehensive disease surveillance, risk analysis, and domestic cat management will be essential for the European wildcat conservation, particularly where hybridisation is increasing and anthropogenic factors are prevalent.

Commemorating Irish and Scottish Famine Migrants in Glasgow: Migration, Community Memories and the Social Uses of Heritage

Abstract: Public commemoration and performance are closely bound up with time, place and social arenas, the memorialization of the past serving a variety of goals. This article considers the memorialization of the experience of the famine that blighted Ireland and northern Scotland during the Victorian period, and focuses on Glasgow, one of Scotland's major cities and the destination of many famine migrants. It explores the instrumental use of the famine past in the public sphere in a city long haunted by the specter of sectarianism and considers the impact of the choices made by different collectives in the process of heritage making and remembrance of uncomfortable/difficult aspects of the past.

Commemorating Irish and Scottish Famine Migrants in Glasgow: Migration, Community Memories and the Social Uses of Heritage

Abstract: Public commemoration and performance are closely bound up with time, place and social arenas, the memorialization of the past serving a variety of goals. This article considers the memorialization of the experience of the famine that blighted Ireland and northern Scotland during the Victorian period, and focuses on Glasgow, one of Scotland's major cities and the destination of many famine migrants. It explores the instrumental use of the famine past in the public sphere in a city long haunted by the specter of sectarianism and considers the impact of the choices made by different collectives in the process of heritage making and remembrance of uncomfortable/difficult aspects of the past.