Poor Conditions for Potato Pickers in Scotland, 1971

Peter Lemass reports on the working and living conditions of seasonal potato pickers who spend the summer and autumn months working in the lowlands of Scotland.

The job of the Tattie-Hokers has always been a pretty tough one.

‘Tattie-Hokers’ is the name given in Scotland to the people who pick potatoes.

In the past, many people from the west of Ireland were able to support themselves for the entire year by spending the summer and autumn months picking potatoes in Scotland. However, poor wages and work conditions have made it difficult for these workers.

One Scottish parish priest talks about his concerns for the moral well-being of the Irish workers and the conditions he has seen them live in.

This episode of ‘Radharc’ was broadcast on 16 March 1971.

‘Radharc’, a series specialising in religious programming, was produced for RTÉ by Radharc, an independent production company run by Catholic priests and lay staff. ‘Radharc’ can be translated to English as ‘view’ or ‘panorama’.

Co-founders Fr Joe Dunn and Fr Desmond Forristal who had received training in television production in New York in 1959 gathered around them a team of like-minded priests with creative talent.

The ‘Radharc’ team made their first production in 1960 in Donegal, a short film about customs relating to St Brigid’s Day. The first programme in the ‘Radharc’ series for RTÉ was broadcast on 12 January 1962.

Between 1961 and 1996 the Radharc team would produce over 400 films in Ireland and 75 countries worldwide. The films dealt with human rights, injustice, faith, religion, persecution, struggles against oppressive regimes, famine, and Christian heritage.

The popular series ended production in 1996 after the death of Fr Joe Dunn.