PROPOSED designs for a Glasgow memorial to victims of the Highland and Irish Famines have gone on display, with city residents are urged to provide feedback.
Artwork inspired by the famines and sketched by pupils at four Glasgow schools are being exhibited at Govanhill Library, Partick Burgh Hall, The Bridge in Easterhouse and the City Chambers.
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Guided by experienced artists, students have also developed a series of concepts intended to be incorporated into a landscaped memorial to famine victims.
Visitors will be asked to give their views on everything from the design, to the type of materials to be considered – and even the use of poetry.
The consultation was shelved until after the Holyrood elections amid fears the project would be politicised.
Cllr Matthew Kerr, chair of the city’s Memorials Working Group, said: “The Glasgow we know today simply could not exist without immigration – and the people who made their way to the city from all over Ireland, the Highlands and the Islands in such desperate circumstances are a huge part of that story.
“Like others who have sought refuge from persecution, hunger and poverty down the decades since, their experiences and their journey will always be part of this city - and Glasgow a richer place for it.
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“I think the young people that have contributed to the project have really grasped that – and that is reflected in the concepts and the ideas they are exploring, down to decisions over using materials native to Ireland and the Highlands.”
Famine ravaged huge swathes of Europe in the mid-1840s, following the failure of potato crops and millions died or were displaced over a number of years. Ireland suffered particularly badly with some 100,000 fleeing to Glasgow.
Tens of thousands also arrived from the Highlands and Islands due to the blight, either settling in the city, or continuing their journey abroad.
The young people behind the designs were drawn from Rosshall Academy, Lourdes Secondary, St Thomas Aquinas Secondary and the Glasgow Gaelic School, and worked together at the Tramway’s visual arts studios.
Plans to erect a famine memorial were first agreed to four years ago but the project has been beset with delays, most recently when when the public consultation phase was put on hold to avoid a clash with the official pre-election period.
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At the time, Labour councillor Mr Kerr said it wasn't "worth the risk of accusations we've broken any rules", but Dr Neil McGarvey, an expert in local government at Strathclyde University, criticised the decision as "more reflective of Glasgow politics and sectarianism than in any legal reality".
SNP councillor Feargal Dalton, who first proposed the memorial, said public feedback would be vital in shaping the final design.
He added: “The young artists have brought forward some very thoughtful ideas on how we can remember the victims of famine, but also honour the way they and other refugees and immigrants from near and far have helped shape this city and what it means to be Glaswegian.
“Today, we’re asking the people of Glasgow to think about those same questions as we move towards finalising a design for the city’s famine memorial.”
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