Exhibit details Working Over By

A TRAVELLING exhibition celebrating the work of Donegal men and women in Scotland between 1940 and 1990 opened to the public in the Glasgow City Archives at the Mitchell Library last month.

The exhibition was launched the previous day at a civic reception hosted by the Lord Provost of Glasgow Jacqueline McLaren. The Working Over By: Donegal Emigrant Working Lives in Scotland 1940-1990 exhibition and accompanying booklet highlights the occupations, working conditions and work experiences of Donegal people in Scotland.

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

“There are few families in County Donegal that have not been affected by emigration or participated in seasonal migration,” Joseph Gallagher, County Donegal Heritage Officer, said. “In the 20th century, Scotland was a familiar destination for people leaving County 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 County 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.”

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. It is funded by Donegal County Council and The Heritage Council as part of the implementation of the County Donegal Heritage Plan.

The exhibit 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. 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.

The Working Over By: Donegal Emigrant Working Lives in Scotland 1940-1990 travelling exhibition can be viewed in the on Mondays from 10am-4pm, Tuesdays from 10am-7pm, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am-4pm and on the first Saturday of the month from 10am-4pm

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, contact 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