The 80th anniversary of the Kirkintilloch Disaster has been commemorated by the town’s MSP.
Rona Mackay, SNP MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, lodged a motion with the Scottish Parliament on Friday September 15.
On September 15 1937, 10 young men and boys from Achill Island on the West coast of Ireland died in a bothy fire on a Kirkintilloch potato farm.
The accommodation they were housed in was “not fit for cattle” and that lessons can still be learned by the tragic death in modern day Scotland.
Ms Mackay said: “It is so important that we remember the tragic Kirkintilloch Disaster where so many young men were killed.
“The bothy these Irish migrant workers were housed in was not fit for cattle, reports in the aftermath concluded.
“I was glad to commemorate this event with the Scottish Parliament 80 years on. I have done this both as a matter of respect for the dead and to serve as a reminder of the need to respect all workers and EU nationals as Brexit looms.”
ENDS
Motion Number: S5M-07719
Lodged By: Rona Mackay
Date Lodged: 15/09/2017
Title: Commemorating the Kirkintilloch Disaster
Motion Text:
That the Parliament commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Kirkintilloch Disaster; notes that, on 15 September 1937, 10 young men and boys from Achill Island on the west coast of Ireland died in a bothy fire on a Kirkintilloch potato farm; understands that their accommodation was described as “not fit for cattle”; believes that there are still problems unique to migrant workers in Scotland, and hopes that lessons can still be learned from the disaster when it comes to treatment and respect for all workers and EU nationals, particularly after Brexit.