The Scots

Like the Welsh and the Irish the Scots originate from Celts. They share the northern virtues that combine individualism and community spirit. They are flamboyant and colourful people, but serious, sometimes gloomy; they are sober and wild; traditional and innovative; inhibited and emotional. The outsiders consider them stingy. Typical Scottish manes are: James, Sean. Mac… in the family name means ‘ son of’. The Scots have strong links with Russia. General Patrick Gordon, Peter the Great’s adviser, Prince Mikhail Barclay de Tolly, commander-in-chief in the Napoleonic wars were of Scottish origin. The great Russian poet Lermontov also had some Scottish blood in his veins.

The Irish

The Irish are artistic even theatrical people, many of them have a special ‘Irish charm’. They are fond of singing and dancing like the Scots and the Welsh. The Irish Catholics of Northern Ireland are stoic, nationalistic, religious, vindictive people. At the same time they have a bright sense of humour. Typical Irish names are: Sean [shon], Seamus [sheimes], Liam [liem]. Many Irish surnames begin with O’… meaning ‘from the family of’ or with Fitz…, Mc.., Kil…, Gil… all meaning ‘son of’. Paddy is the nickname of the Irish (from Patrick).

The History and Structure of Immigration

People have been coming to settle in Britain for centuries from many parts of the world. Some came to avoid political or religious persecution, others to find a better way of life or an escape from poverty. The Irish have long made homes in Britain, The large communities from the West Indies and South Asian sub-continent date principally from the 1950s and 1960s. There are also sizeable groups of Americans, Australians, Chinese and various European communities such as Greek and Turkish Cypriots, Italians and Spaniards. People from Latin America, Indo-China and Sri Lanka have sought refuge in Britain. The latest Census (2002) showed that 74,ooo people living in Britain were born in Poland, 78,000 in Cyprus, 91,000 in Italy, 215,000 in Germany.

One reason of people’s immigration to Britain was escape from persecution. Thus, Jews came from Spain at the end of the 15^th century, and the Protestant Huguenots came from France in the 1680s, both persecuted by Roman Catholic regimes. In the 19^th century Italian political exiles fled to Britain. Many Jewish refugees started a new life in the country towards the end of the nineteenth century and in the 1930s. After 1945 large numbers of other European refugees settled in Britain. The most recent arrivals in Britain have not been from the Commonwealth, but from countries affected by wars. In the late 1980s refugees from Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea came to Britain. Then refugees from Yugoslavia and Romania came. The Commonwealth of Nations consists of the former British colonies. The British monarch is the Head of the Commonwealth.

Another reason of immigration was the British labour market that was short of working hands, especially for less attractive jobs. As a result in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s people from the Caribbean, Africa, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Cyprus all came to Britain to work. They concentrated in large cities that offered a lot of jobs.