Sectarianism in Glasgow

Sectarianism in Glasgow takes the form of long-standing religious and political sectarian rivalry between Catholics and Protestants.

Roughly the fifth century AD, the local part of the Roman Catholic Church was the main religion in what is now Scotland, but after the Scottish Reformation, Scotland officially adopted Presbyterianism (the Church of Scotland) as its state religion. Due to economic hardship, especially following the Great Famine and during a period of rapid growth in the industrial towns of Scotland's Central Belt, many Irish Catholic emigrants settled in those industrial towns, with Glasgow attracting a particularly large number. This migration led to increased competition for employment and housing and, in some instances, antagonism and conflict between competing groups. In addition to this, religious discrimination and established social networks augmented the tension between Protestants and Catholics. Moreover, Irish Protestants also migrated to the same industrial towns in the Central Belt of Scotland.