National Identity in Scotland and Ireland (Final Part)

National identity is not just about politics, for most people it is about their culture, their perceived common traits with their countrymen. This desire to advertise national identity can be seen most strongly when people travel abroad. Both Ireland and Scotland had high emigration for the period under discussion and many of these emigrants also exported aspects of their national identity. Caledonian Societies, Burn's Suppers, St. Patrick's Day celebrations can all be found across the world in places where emigrants settled. These are all celebrations of nationality but other exports included religion, law, education and moral beliefs. Emigrants took much of their own national identity with them and often in their newly adopted home would become more nationalistic than they had ever been back in Glasgow or Dublin. This nationalism from afar has also been passed down to new generations as part of a human need to have roots in the past, the idea of knowing where you came from because it is supposed to define who you are to some extent. Clearly national identity is very important to most people but is usually only defined in a rather vague way.

The situations in Scotland and Ireland during this period are clearly vastly different and their expressions of national identity dictated by their social, political and economic conditions. Ireland was tirelessly politically active and built up a strong tradition of opposition to the British and of violent action. The long struggle for Ireland culminated in independence apart from the partitioned Ulster, which has an identity of its own, including elements of Scottish and Irish national identity. Scotland was not so active politically and any real opposition to the government was reserved for the labour movement. The changes Scotland was going through and her special position within the British Empire at this time clearly detracted from any nationalist sentiment. Culturally both countries had a unique national identity clearly seen in the literature, sport, holiday celebrations and music. Ireland fought for independence for a long time and much of Irish identity was formed in opposition to England; this also applies to Scotland. Both Irish and Scottish national identity were defined by their difference from the English way of doing things and both perceived England as the source of their troubles.

1)G.Morton, 'What if?: The Significance of Scotland's Missing Nationalism in the

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