How depressing reading some 1920s adverts for Blantyre in local newspapers. Sectarianism rife. Take this for example, a simple advert for a cook for Greenhall.

Where the qualifications are not asked for or even showing rates of pay, but where a major employment consideration and factor was “being a protestant’.

How far we’ve come indeed.

Featuring Blantyre Project Social Media with permission. Strictly not for use by others on or offline, our visitors said,

Eleanor Clark Well not so long ago a certain shop put a notice in his window looking for employees but no Protestant need apply

Tom McGuigan Where was this?

Kelly Maguire Which shop as they can be reported under the discrimination law.

Jean Gibson If this was recently they should have been in deep trouble. Our Catholic friends and neighbours were greatly discriminated against. Shame of the west of Scotland.

Russell Boyd Utter drivel

Eleanor Clark Russell Boyd have you not heard of Jan Stepick shops that were in the Lanarkshire area

Marian Maguire Yes sectarianism was rife even in public services. But yes this was done in shops on both sides. So sad and unnecessary..

Jim Canning There are some places that Traffic Signals are thought of as religious symbols

Eleanor Clark That was the place and the name was Stepik

Bill Graham It was not uncommon for you to be asked when you visited a new friends house to be asked by the parents what school you went to as if it was not a St something then they knew you were Protetant. On one occasion I was visiting a Catholic friends house when a priest turned up to visit, when the mother saw him coming up the path, she quickly threw me out the back door and was told to be as quiet as a mouse till he had gone. At the time I thought it was very funny, but it showed you the attitude back in the 60’s. This was not a one sided situation, in the 70’s I went to pick up a relative from Glasgow airport, on the way I dropped a friend of mine off at the chapel (it was a Sunday) and because of this detour I was a little bit late picking him up, he asked what happened to make me late and I told him. His next question surprised me, he asked what seat my friend had sat in I told him the front he said he would not sit in the same seat as a Catholic had sat, I was horrified and very angry, so I said fine and drove off and left him there. Thank god times have changed.

Thomas Barrett My father was called Patrick and had 5 sons not 1 called after him. When i asked him why he told me we would have no chance of getting employment sad but true

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Blantyre Project im astonished at that Thomas, something i’ve never thought about before. Thats such a shame.

Thomas Barrett Anno think my dad must’ve had a hard time looking for work.

Michelle Evans I’m not, my ex-husband’s dad (my ex FIL), his name was Patrick, but he was never known as Patrick. Everything he owned, going so far as his name on his tombstone (after he passed away), and phone book entry were listed as “Eric”, because he would never have been able to find employment as “Patrick”.
When our first child (daughter) was born, my ex-husband wanted to name her after his dad and call her Erica – not Patricia. In the end we settled with Heather, as Erica is latin for Heather – or they have some connection one way or another.

Thomas Barrett He has a grandson called Patrick i’m sure this made him feel proud as it is a different age.

Etta Morrison I attended Calder Street school and liked the Irish dancing so went with some friends..the priest came in and friends told me to keep quiet and do what they did.. think priests name was Father Manion or something similar..

Matthew McGuigan How true sadly. I remember as recently as the late sixties a shop on Coatshill avenue had a sign for staff that read, No R.C’s need apply!

Jim McSorley Yea silly. We are all Scottish.

Jim Brankin Father Manion he was a lovely singer..remember him from the Joe’s it was unusual to have a red-haired priest. Most of them were old Canon Ash was the parish priest lots of people called him Canon Cash .lol

Etta Morrison Jim there was another priest at the time and my friends were scared of him as he was very strict but they liked father Manion..funny after all these years how we remember small facts like that..

Robert Stewart How far have we come Paul, you don’t say. There is still a lot of it around unfortunately, especially in the work place, but difficult to prove.
Betty McLean As a former neighbour in Blantyre..a Catholic…said “we are all Jock Tamsons bairns“.