Modern History: Sectarianism ever an issue?

[Egg Centric]

Has there been any meaningful amount of sectarianism on the railways since say 1920, presumably (Northern) Ireland but also possibly around Glasgow etc? Sorts of things I am wondering about are depots, grades, groupings, stations, regions etc being split on sectarian lines or perhaps more likely simply just not allowing in one "side". If so where may I read more about this or has it been mostly swept under the carpet?

I'm well aware of the sexism that used to exist and presumably racism as well, but this thread is meant to be about this more "specialised" kind of bigotry. Although I can't control what you post if you want to discuss the former

 

[BeijingDave]

Has there been any meaningful amount of sectarianism on the railways since say 1920, presumably (Northern) Ireland but also possibly around Glasgow etc? Sorts of things I am wondering about are depots, grades, groupings, stations, regions etc being split on sectarian lines or perhaps more likely simply just not allowing in one "side". If so where may I read more about this or has it been mostly swept under the carpet?

I'm well aware of the sexism that used to exist and presumably racism as well, but this thread is meant to be about this more "specialised" kind of bigotry. Although I can't control what you post if you want to discuss the former

I doubt it's ever really been an issue elsewhere, except possibly Liverpool where there are still orange marches too.

 

[Magdalia]

Has there been any meaningful amount of sectarianism on the railways since say 1920, presumably (Northern) Ireland but also possibly around Glasgow etc?

North British Locomotive (NBL) was an amalgamation of 3 Glasgow locomotive manufacturers Sharp Stewart, Nelson Reid and Dubs. I recall seeing hints that there was a sectarian split in the workforce at the three different sites Atlas, Hyde Park and Queens Park respectively. Does anyone with local knowledge know more?

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

In Northern Ireland the workforce on the GNR(I) was largely Catholic; the NCC largely Protestant. The mainly Catholic areas west of the River Bann lost virtually all of their railways in the mass closures of the '50s and '60s prompting accusations of Unionist bias. Happily the 'Derry Road' between Portadown and Londonderry may be revived if the 'All Ireland Rail Review' comes to anything.

 

[Falcon1200]

In Glasgow, absolutely yes.

I moved to Scotland in 1984 and although I knew a little about the Celtic/Rangers thing, I had no idea how deep it went; Everyone in the office was classed as being one side or the other, and it was normal to ask new starts 'what school did you go to?', because Catholic Schools had religious names whereas non-Catholic schools did not; And they even asked me! Although in my case St Nicholas Primary School was Church of England, as the same 'rule' did not apply down south.

Catholic colleagues told me how members of their community had been disadvantaged in the past, however I am glad to say that things have very much improved now. And while there was plenty of banter in the office, it never boiled over into anything serious. I do still, however, avoid going into Glasgow when an Old Firm game is on....

 

[Springs Branch]

Not the railways, but I remember reading an account of life as a Glasgow bus conductor during the 1960s - where the narrator said that while working a late shift, bus crews would always hurry to get past the Bridgeton area (AIUI a strongly Protestant district back then) before pub chucking-out time - to the extent of risking the wrath of an inspector for running their bus massively early.

Not sure if Bridgeton was just a particularly rough area at closing time, or whether the Glasgow Corporation green uniform was some sort of a 'red rag to the bull'.

 

[d9009alycidon]

It was certainly an issue! Until relatively recently, few if any Catholics were in the Masons in Scotland, and there was definately the "funny handshake" element when being interviewed for promotions. I worked in a steel mill and the supervisory and management grades were almost exclusively protestant.

 

[matchmaker]

I got round the "what team do you support" by saying either Partick Thistle or Third Lanark (the latter really threw them , as the club went into liquidation in 1967! Their ground, Cathkin Park, still exists).