A conventional account of the shipbuilding town of Port Glasgow might concentrate
on the male side of that community, on the shipyards, the workers and their culture.
Instead, this thesis explores features of that community from the perspective of the lives
of Port Glasgow's Irish Catholic female population.
While male experience is also included, the focus is upon female life in an urban
industrial setting. In the main, the inter-war years and the period immediately following
provide the time frame, although material from other periods is also included.
Importantly, the thesis draws extensively on interviews conducted with women and
men who experienced the period and the place at first hand. These recordings have been
lodged in the archives of the School of Scottish Studies.
After outlining the methodology and providing the historical context of this industrial
centre, including an account of its development and built environment, the chapters
focus on the home and the household and what helped to create and sustain these -
courtship and marriage and the place of entertainment and leisure pursuits and
courtship; the impact of housing provision on married relationships; the networks in
place to assist young couples in finding a home; the circumstances of home-making;
family life; the role of religion and cultural beliefs and traditions within the home, and
the interaction between these and the wider religious community and institutions.
This thesis brings to light experience which has hitherto received relatively little
attention and shows the value of a critical use of oral testimony for exploring and
understanding lives which have contributed to Scotland's industrial history
