Exhibition featuring Donegal people working in Scotland opens in Glasgow

A travelling exhibition celebrating the work of Donegal men and women in Scotland between 1940 and 1990 will open to the public in the Glasgow City Archives at The Mitchell Library, 

The travelling exhibition can be seen in the library located on North Street, Glasgow, from Wednesday. The exhibition will be launched the previous day at a civic reception hosted by the Lord Provost of Glasgow, Jacqueline McLaren.  

Former Celtic and Republic of Ireland goalkeeper and Donegal Diaspora Ambassador Packie Bonner will launch the exhibition, which will be on display in the Glasgow City Archives until January 2026, and admission is free.

The ‘Working Over By: Donegal Emigrant Working Lives in Scotland 1940-1990’ exhibition and accompanying booklet highlight the occupations, working conditions and work experiences of Donegal people in Scotland.  

 “There are few families in Donegal that have not been affected by emigration or participated in seasonal migration”, said Joseph Gallagher, County Donegal Heritage Officer.  “In the twentieth century, Scotland was a familiar destination for people leaving Donegal in search of work.  

“In recent years, the stories of some of their experiences and successes have been documented but for a long time, they have been overlooked or considered too ordinary to be recorded.  With the passage of time, the opportunities to record first-hand accounts of the experiences of Donegal people working in Scotland are disappearing.  

“This travelling exhibition captures some of the images and accounts associated with this important chapter in Donegal’s story.  We’re delighted that Glasgow City Archives has agreed to host the exhibition as part of the city’s 850th anniversary celebrations.  

“If members of the public would like a preview of the travelling exhibition, staff from Donegal County Council will be available in the Glasgow City Archives between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Tuesday, September 23, to meet with them.” 

 The exhibition represents a collaboration between the Heritage Office, Museum and Archives of Donegal County Council’s Culture Division and the Mellon Centre for Migration Studies based in County Tyrone.  

The exhibition is funded by Donegal County Council and The Heritage Council as part of the implementation of the County Donegal Heritage Plan.  The exhibition contains photographs of Donegal people at work in a variety of industries and workplaces in Scotland from 1940 to 1990 including farms, buses, railways, building sites, engineering projects (such as tunnels, bridges, dams or hydro-electric schemes), shipbuilding, domestic service, hotels, shops, biscuit or chocolate factories, sport, health service and the religious life.  

Donegal Tunnel Tigers are taking a break from their work on a hydro-electric scheme in Scotland in the mid-twentieth century. Pictured (from left to right) are: Martin Molloy, Mully, Glenties; Unknown; Hughie Friel, Termon; Jimmy McDaid, Glenswilly; Anthony Ferry, Crickamore, Dungloe; Paddy Joe Molloy, Mully, Glenties & Andy Bonar, Meenmore, Dungloe.

It profiles Donegal men and women who worked on a seasonal basis, as well as those who settled in Scotland. Through personal accounts and photographs from national repositories and those submitted by members of the public, the stories of these people, their occupations and their working conditions are highlighted.  The travelling exhibition is accompanied by a free 100-page, A5-size booklet that provides a synopsis of several occupations and gives a flavour of the Donegal immigrant experience in Scotland between 1940 and 1990.  Over the course of the exhibition, Donegal people at home and abroad are encouraged to record their own family’s story. 

Brothers Dinnie Gallagher (far left) and John Gallagher (far right), originally from Tully near Dungloe, are pictured with Mick Durkin (from County Mayo) and John Floyd (from Ballybofey) working for the Cementation company on the interceptor sewer in Seafield, Edinburgh, circa 1966.  The dangerous nature of their working environment is conveyed by the condition of their work clothes and the lack of personal protective equipment. 

The ‘Working Over By: Donegal Emigrant Working Lives in Scotland’ travelling exhibition will run in the Glasgow City Archives, The Mitchell Library, North Street, Glasgow, G3 7DN until January and admission is free.  

The exhibition can be viewed in the Glasgow City Archives on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesdays & Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on the first Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

The travelling exhibition will be available to travel to other parts of Scotland in 2026.  If you would like to contribute to the exhibition or would like to find out more, please get in touch with the County Donegal Heritage Office on 00 353 74 916 3824 or by e-mail at donegalscotland@donegalcoco.ie or the Glasgow City Archives on (0141) 287 2910 or by e-mail at archives@glasgowlife.org.uk