Womens lives in Clyde shipbuilding communities

Traditional narratives about the shipbuilding communities of Port Glasgow and Greenock often focus on male perspectives, highlighting the shipyards, technological advancements, or labor unions. In contrast, this event shifts the lens to the experiences of women in these communities. Dr. Hugh Hagan will draw on personal testimonies to illuminate the critical contributions of shipyard wives in handling household finances, maintaining supportive networks among relatives and neighbors, and safeguarding the vitality of communities along the lower Clyde. Through firsthand accounts, the event will also consider the importance of oral history in amplifying voices that are frequently overlooked in official records.

**About the Speaker**
Hugh Hagan, who recently retired from the National Records of Scotland, led the team responsible for enforcing the Public Records (Scotland) Act. Before dedicating himself to archival work, Hugh enjoyed a distinguished career as a shipwright on the Clyde, later discovering his true calling in preserving historical records.

**About the Ian MacDougall Lecture Series**
This yearly lecture series honors the legacy of Dr. Ian MacDougall (1933-2020), a trailblazing oral historian who was instrumental in recording and safeguarding the history of Scotland’s labor and trade union movements. The event is organized in collaboration with the Scottish Labour History Society and the Scottish Working People’s History Trust.

**Image Credit**
Launch of the MV Pharos, Port Glasgow, 1992. Photograph by Ian MacKenzie. Provided by the School of Scottish Studies Archives, University of Edinburgh.

**Note: This is a Paid Event**