0:00:04 > 0:00:06I'm Helen Mark and I grew up in Scotland,
0:00:06 > 0:00:10but for the last 31 years I've made Northern Ireland my home.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12It's making my eyes water!
0:00:12 > 0:00:15I have always felt comfortable in Northern Ireland
0:00:15 > 0:00:16but I've never really examined why
0:00:16 > 0:00:19and I often wonder if the many people from Northern Ireland
0:00:19 > 0:00:22who have settled in Scotland feel the same.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26- You're really Glaswegian? - Oh, for God... Don't tell me that!
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Your mother's going to be furious with you!
0:00:29 > 0:00:31At the closest point Scotland
0:00:31 > 0:00:35and the North Antrim coast are just 12 miles apart,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38and the migration of people between the two countries
0:00:38 > 0:00:40has been going on for centuries.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42It's a good test of your sailing skills!
0:00:42 > 0:00:44And your stomach, I think, as well!
0:00:44 > 0:00:48But it's the modern mix of cultures that I'm interested in.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Them and us, cheek by jowl.
0:00:51 > 0:00:57Just what are the ties that bind us, and are they as strong as ever?
0:00:57 > 0:00:58With the Glasgow gig,
0:00:58 > 0:01:00if you come out without getting bottled you've done well!
0:01:00 > 0:01:02When they start playing that music,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05you know, I just feel this Scottishness just welling up in me.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Although there are strong historical and cultural ties
0:01:30 > 0:01:33between the familiar landscape of southwest Scotland
0:01:33 > 0:01:35and rural Northern Ireland,
0:01:35 > 0:01:40today I've decided to take my search for our shared cultural heritage
0:01:40 > 0:01:41to the city.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48I want to discover the contemporary urban links
0:01:48 > 0:01:50between Northern Ireland and Scotland.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54And what better place to start than Scotland's biggest city, Glasgow.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04With a population of around 580,000 people,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Glasgow is over twice the size of Belfast.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11It's on the west of Scotland, about 80 miles from Stranraer,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13and 35 from the port of Troon.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22The promise of riches offered by a big city just across the channel
0:02:22 > 0:02:28has brought in waves of Irish immigrants over the last 200 years.
0:02:28 > 0:02:29Lovely to meet you...
0:02:29 > 0:02:32'I've decided to start my look at the city
0:02:32 > 0:02:34'by taking a tour from Patrick McNulty.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38'He came over here from Strabane in 1954.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40'His first job was as a plasterer
0:02:40 > 0:02:44but he's been driving a taxi for 44 years.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47'He arrived when he was just 17.'
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Why did you come to Glasgow in the first place?
0:02:50 > 0:02:56Well, I came because of, my pal played the accordion
0:02:56 > 0:02:58and we were both plasterers,
0:02:58 > 0:03:01and he was always on about Jimmy Shand's music,
0:03:01 > 0:03:04he loved Jimmy Shand and he was trying to get into a band.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06And he talked me into coming to Glasgow.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09We were only supposed to stay to Christmas.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13Was there a welcome for the Irish coming into Scotland?
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Well, I never found anything other than that, I can honestly say.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Maybe, like, a lot of people, maybe some people think that they
0:03:20 > 0:03:24were just taking their jobs, or whatever, but I never found that.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27The company I was always in seemed to be happy to have me.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29And what was it like?
0:03:29 > 0:03:32Well, it was a complete... Different for me,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35from a wee town like Strabane, and I was used to the country.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38But it was... We seemed to adjust quite quickly
0:03:38 > 0:03:41and people were very friendly,
0:03:41 > 0:03:46and we got a job plastering right away, you know? It was great.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49There was dancing every night of the week so it was, at that age,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52I suppose it was, it was the ideal place to be!
0:03:52 > 0:03:53You see, I listen to you
0:03:53 > 0:03:57and I can't hear any trace of an Ulster accent left.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00- No Irish accent left?- You're really Glaswegian.- Oh, for God's...
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Don't tell me that! I'm only kidding you on!
0:04:08 > 0:04:10Why are we going up here?
0:04:10 > 0:04:13This is the house where I first met Margaret, where we got lodgings.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17We were told when we got off the boat, if we went to this house we would get lodgings
0:04:17 > 0:04:24and when we went to the house the woman at the house said that she didn't have any spare rooms
0:04:24 > 0:04:27but that, if we got someplace to stay until Friday,
0:04:27 > 0:04:29that she would take us on the Friday.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32But her husband said they had a friend who had a spare room
0:04:32 > 0:04:34and he would take us up,
0:04:34 > 0:04:38and see if we could get the spare room to the Friday.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40And it was 1022, just at the corner, here.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46And on the way up he told us to be careful
0:04:46 > 0:04:49cos there was three young women, teenagers in the house
0:04:49 > 0:04:51and we needed to watch ourselves.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56And one of them was Margaret and I've been married to her for 43 years!
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Oh, that's tremendous!
0:05:01 > 0:05:05After driving around with Patrick, and walking around the city
0:05:05 > 0:05:07I can't help but make comparisons with Belfast.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10The cities have a very similar feel,
0:05:10 > 0:05:12which must come from their shared history.
0:05:16 > 0:05:21Behind me is Glasgow's version of Belfast City Hall.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24This is Glasgow City Chambers and it was built in 1888,
0:05:24 > 0:05:29and, just like City Hall, it is a giant slab of Victoriana -
0:05:29 > 0:05:34a symbol of a city that was made rich from the British Empire
0:05:34 > 0:05:37and one that's not afraid to show of a bit of bling.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44It not just the city centre
0:05:44 > 0:05:47that gives me a sense of Glasgow's confident past.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Like Belfast, much of Glasgow's prosperity came from ship building.
0:05:51 > 0:05:58In its heyday the Clydeside docks built 370 ships a year.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01The industry attracted thousands of workers from Northern Ireland
0:06:01 > 0:06:05but, like Belfast, ship building has now almost completely disappeared.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09This is what's left of the Govan yard,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12once run by the Belfast-based Harland and Wolff.
0:06:12 > 0:06:17They came here in 1912 and began building tankers and cargo ships.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22The company left in 1963
0:06:22 > 0:06:25and the following years saw a sharp decline in ship building
0:06:25 > 0:06:27all along the Clyde,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29but it's not all bad news.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Everywhere you look there's new buildings popping up
0:06:38 > 0:06:41and although the pizzazz of glass and steel
0:06:41 > 0:06:43is hardly a like-for-like replacement
0:06:43 > 0:06:46for the thousands of jobs created by building ships
0:06:46 > 0:06:49it is a sign that the city is fighting back.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55But although the appearance of Glasgow is changing fast,
0:06:55 > 0:07:00at its core the cultural heart of the city remains the same.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03VENDOR SHOUTING
0:07:03 > 0:07:08Nowhere is this more evident than in the cities' obsession with football
0:07:08 > 0:07:12and it's here where the historical connections with Ulster
0:07:12 > 0:07:14are most proudly displayed.
0:07:15 > 0:07:21Celtic came into being in 1888 as a club for the Irish Catholic community
0:07:21 > 0:07:25and they very proudly proclaimed their identity as Irish.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29There was, by that time, considerable immigration from Ireland
0:07:29 > 0:07:32into Scotland, of both Catholics and Protestants.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35And the Protestant immigration tended to be drawn
0:07:35 > 0:07:39by employment opportunities in industries like ship building
0:07:39 > 0:07:40and engineering, and so on.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44So that was a concentration of Irish Protestant immigration
0:07:44 > 0:07:46into the Clydeside region
0:07:46 > 0:07:51and I think that a lot of that community began to support Rangers
0:07:51 > 0:07:55in the late 1890s, early 1900s.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Although, I have to be a bit cautious here,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00because there is no hard evidence
0:08:00 > 0:08:04but I think there's a lot of good circumstantial evidence
0:08:04 > 0:08:08because, quite clearly, Rangers, in the early 20th century,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11becomes something of a Scottish Protestant answer
0:08:11 > 0:08:15to an Irish Catholic team, namely Celtic.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Today Rangers play Montrose
0:08:17 > 0:08:19and, with the club currently in the third division,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22I'm guessing that even the most hardened fans
0:08:22 > 0:08:24are finding it quite difficult
0:08:24 > 0:08:26but I'm wondering what effect this would have
0:08:26 > 0:08:29on the loyal supporters from Northern Ireland
0:08:29 > 0:08:33for whom, you know, a trip here, it's a form of pilgrimage.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Don't be shy, give it a try! Here, your number one fanzine, now!
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Paul Boyne and Thomas Mathews
0:08:39 > 0:08:43left Belfast on the 7.30 boat this morning.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46They're part of the Ardoyne Rangers Supporters Club.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Despite the distance and the club's recent financial difficulties
0:08:49 > 0:08:52they are still committed to coming to every home game.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57You're going to play Montrose today, in the third division.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59Oh, come on, that has got to hurt?
0:09:01 > 0:09:02No, not at all.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04The bottom line is you follow a football team.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07You pick your football team to follow it.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09As far as I'm concerned, as far as we are all concerned,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12we don't care who the Rangers are playing. It doesn't matter to us.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15But why did you want to follow a Scottish team and Rangers,
0:09:15 > 0:09:17you know, when you could have taken any team in the league?
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Well, basically, we've a big connection with the shipyards
0:09:21 > 0:09:23and with Glasgow and Harland and Wolff,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26and people, obviously, marrying into the families.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29And there's a very, very close connection with Scotland and Ulster,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31at the minute, and there always has been.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33And, obviously, with the football teams,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37if you have a father who is, maybe, from Scotland, who supports Rangers,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40and you live in Northern Ireland, your son is going to support Rangers.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42People do make the assumption,
0:09:42 > 0:09:46you know, they go straight to that sectarian divide, don't they?
0:09:46 > 0:09:48I mean, you can't really escape that.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Aye, you can't really but I support Rangers.
0:09:51 > 0:09:52Doesn't matter who they were,
0:09:52 > 0:09:57I'd have still supported Rangers but you do get, like, labelled that way.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00- Does that bother you? - It does, you know.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03You get labelled like a bigot just because you support Rangers
0:10:03 > 0:10:06and it shouldn't be the case, you know?
0:10:06 > 0:10:08I mean, it doesn't matter what they were, I'd still support Rangers.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11People have this perception that there's one side of this
0:10:11 > 0:10:15and all this anti-Irish thing because we're proud to be, sort of,
0:10:15 > 0:10:16a British football team.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20There is a big historical past, there, between both sets of fans
0:10:20 > 0:10:23and that should be celebrated.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27You can still celebrate your culture, your Protestantism, your Loyalism
0:10:27 > 0:10:28without being a bigot.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32- Are you not missing the Old Firm matches though?- Not at all.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35No, we don't need Celtic. We're just here to see the Rangers. That's it.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40Sport is just one cultural link that stretches across the Irish Sea.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44To discover more I've decided to head 45 miles east,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47to Glasgow's great rival, Edinburgh.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54It's August and the city is playing host
0:10:54 > 0:10:59to the biggest arts festival in the world.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Hello, welcome to Edinburgh. Ha-ha!
0:11:02 > 0:11:06The Edinburgh Festival is actually a collection of arts festivals
0:11:06 > 0:11:09that bring of thousands of visitors to the city.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14It's a truly international affair
0:11:14 > 0:11:19but amidst all the mayhem there is a rock-hard slice of Scots tradition -
0:11:19 > 0:11:22the Edinburgh Tattoo.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Pipes and drums, by the centre, quick march!
0:11:36 > 0:11:39The shared tradition of pipes, drums and dancing
0:11:39 > 0:11:42provides a strong link for many Northern Irish people.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47The current world champion pipe band is from Ulster
0:11:47 > 0:11:50and many pipers from Northern Ireland will be performing tonight,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53as part of various military bands.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02I'm on my way up to Edinburgh Castle to see them practise.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04Tonight's show starts in just over an hour -
0:12:04 > 0:12:08just enough time for a warm up and a final pep talk.
0:12:13 > 0:12:14That's not good enough!
0:12:14 > 0:12:17You've had an hour every night for this month
0:12:17 > 0:12:20between the time that I finish till the time that you march on
0:12:20 > 0:12:25and I haven't seen a single person asking for help or practising,
0:12:25 > 0:12:27or trying to learn this stuff, and it's not good enough!
0:12:27 > 0:12:29We are up on the battlements.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31The band was just having a little bit of practice, there,
0:12:31 > 0:12:33before the actual performance
0:12:33 > 0:12:35and when they start playing that music,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37you know, I just feel this Scottishness just welling up in me
0:12:37 > 0:12:40and I challenge anybody who does,
0:12:40 > 0:12:42who has just a grain of Scottishness in them,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45I bet they would feel exactly the same.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55Northern Ireland's presence at the Tattoo extends beyond pipe bands.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58I've come to meet two Highland dancers from Belfast
0:12:58 > 0:13:01who for the next month are staying in Edinburgh.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Jasmine Ng and Emma Rice are both Ulster champions
0:13:05 > 0:13:09and tonight they will perform alongside some of the best dancers in the world.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Jasmine's mum and dad are also over to help them through the first week.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Hello, pleased to meet you, Helen. I'm Jasmine's father.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Hi, nice to meet you. Are the girls through here?
0:13:17 > 0:13:18- Hi.- Hi.
0:13:18 > 0:13:23- I'm Helen. Nice to meet you both. It's Jasmine, is it?- Yeah.
0:13:23 > 0:13:24- And Emma?- Yeah.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Margaret, it must make you really proud?
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Och, yes, to think, you know, that they had to audition
0:13:29 > 0:13:32to get into the Tattoo first of all.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35So, they went over here in February and auditioned
0:13:35 > 0:13:40and, to be part of the Scottish team, I mean, that's quite big.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44I wonder, Margaret, if, you know, having the girls doing Scottish dancing,
0:13:44 > 0:13:48does that make you feel more a part of Scotland?
0:13:48 > 0:13:52I don't feel Scottish but I feel strongly, you know,
0:13:52 > 0:13:54maybe more Ulster Scottish.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57You feel, you know, a bit wider spread, maybe, coming here
0:13:57 > 0:14:01and doing more Scottish things here, you know? Mm-hm.
0:14:01 > 0:14:02What about for you, though, Jasmine?
0:14:02 > 0:14:07You're 14, do you feel that you're part of a bigger picture
0:14:07 > 0:14:08because of the dancing?
0:14:08 > 0:14:13Yeah, because whenever we come to Scotland I don't really think
0:14:13 > 0:14:15that we're going somewhere, like...
0:14:15 > 0:14:17If I were going to France, or somewhere, I'd think,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20"I wonder what it's like?" But whenever I'm coming to Scotland
0:14:20 > 0:14:25I just think, "Oh, we're just going to another part of Northern Ireland."
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Up at the castle, tonight's performance is now underway.
0:14:28 > 0:14:29over the next four weeks
0:14:29 > 0:14:34the girls will perform to over 200,000 people -
0:14:34 > 0:14:36it's some way to spend the school holidays!
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Girls, you just look absolutely gorgeous.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Go on, Emma, give us a twirl. Ah, lovely!
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Now, what does it feel like when you actually get out there,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52in front of all that crowd?
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Well, you kind of have a blank but your feet do all the work
0:14:55 > 0:14:57and you just, like, take it away with the music.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Yeah, like, after you dance they're, like, cheering and everything,
0:15:00 > 0:15:02and it's just really good.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06- Can I say, "Good luck," or is that bad luck?- No, that's all right!
0:15:06 > 0:15:10- It's OK? All right, then. Good luck!- Thank you.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30The dance tonight might look modern
0:15:30 > 0:15:33but it still incorporates many traditional steps.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Steps that were taught to the girls by Elizabeth Gollan,
0:15:36 > 0:15:40a dance teacher from Livingston who has spent the last seven years
0:15:40 > 0:15:43making monthly trips across to Belfast.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46The standard in Northern Ireland has definitely progressed
0:15:46 > 0:15:48since I started teaching there.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50I'd say that the dancers from Northern Ireland
0:15:50 > 0:15:53will travel to Scotland.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57They wouldn't travel if they couldn't actually compete with the best.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01What part, though, does this dancing have in modern day life?
0:16:01 > 0:16:05They learn how to be committed to something.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07They will take everything that you give them and they want more.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09And they just, you know, they enjoy it.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12And when you start to learn about the history of all the dances
0:16:12 > 0:16:15that they're doing, you know, and competitions.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17They have to do some research on that
0:16:17 > 0:16:19and understand why they do certain things,
0:16:19 > 0:16:23and they enjoy doing that, and finding out what the dances mean.
0:16:37 > 0:16:38CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:16:38 > 0:16:42- You got finished. It all went well? - Yeah.- How do you feel now?
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Erm, a bit excited but glad it's over for tonight.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50- So do you go home now to bed to rest up?- Yeah.- You do?
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Are the nerves not still big and high?
0:16:52 > 0:16:56- Yeah, it takes us, kind of, a while to settle down.- I would say it does.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- Well, well done.- Thank you. - All right.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02The girls are so at home as part of the Scottish dance team
0:17:02 > 0:17:06and they're taking part in a world-renowned Scottish event.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09It's almost like second nature to them and they're quite young yet,
0:17:09 > 0:17:10and perhaps they don't realise
0:17:10 > 0:17:13but what they're doing now is forming bonds of friendship
0:17:13 > 0:17:15that they'll have for the rest of their lives,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18and they are also part of a tradition that, you know,
0:17:18 > 0:17:20has threads that go back through centuries,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23and it's all happening to them here and now.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30After the heady traditionalism of the Edinburgh Tattoo,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33I've back decided to head back west to Glasgow.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39I want to examine links that are not as easy to identify
0:17:39 > 0:17:42as traditions like Highland dancing or football allegiances
0:17:42 > 0:17:44but are still just as strong.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47Scottish cities attract thousands of young people
0:17:47 > 0:17:52from Northern Ireland, and for many, their journey starts at university.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54I am a fourth-year student. I'm studying mechanical engineering.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57- I'm studying accounting with finance.- I'm a history student.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Bioveterinary science, which is a sort of veterinary research course.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04And why did you pick Scotland to come and study?
0:18:04 > 0:18:06It was kind of by accident, really.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09I thought, "I want a change from Northern Ireland. Get away."
0:18:09 > 0:18:12A couple of cousins went to Scottish universities and enjoyed it.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14They don't do any veterinary courses in Northern Ireland
0:18:14 > 0:18:16so I thought Scotland is the best bet.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18I do plan on staying in Scotland, I think.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Even if not Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, anywhere.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23There's always a wee pull back home
0:18:23 > 0:18:25but I definitely would not be against the idea
0:18:25 > 0:18:27of living in Scotland for the rest of my life.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31- Do you miss Northern Ireland? - Now and again.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Young people flood to Scotland for all sorts of disciplines
0:18:34 > 0:18:37but in Glasgow there is one area particularly
0:18:37 > 0:18:41where Northern Ireland is making a massive contribution...
0:18:41 > 0:18:42art.
0:18:51 > 0:18:57Turner Prize-nominated artist Cathy Wilkes came to study at the Glasgow School of Art in 1985.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59She still lives and works in the city.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Above the Transmission Gallery, in Glasgow,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09which also has strong links with the Catalyst Gallery back home,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13is the studio of Belfast-born artist Gareth Reid.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Gareth has held solo exhibitions in Northern Ireland and Glasgow.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19In 2007, he won the BP Travel Award
0:19:19 > 0:19:23and his work is in the collections of the Arts Council
0:19:23 > 0:19:25of Northern Ireland and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30There are quite a few Northern Irish artists here.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Off the top of my head, Dave Sherry,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35there's Peter McCaughey, Cathy Wilkes,
0:19:35 > 0:19:40erm, a few people from art school, Kevin Murphy, erm, Maurice Doherty.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42So, quite a few.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45There are far more, I just can't think of them at the moment.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49- A lot of Northern Ireland artists stay in Glasgow?- Yes, yeah.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51Why would they stay here?
0:19:51 > 0:19:56Well, just because Glasgow is big enough to have a lot of stuff going on
0:19:56 > 0:19:58but it's small enough for you to know almost anybody.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00And musicians as well,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04filmmakers who are working on an international level,
0:20:04 > 0:20:09so it is quite, it's inspiring and there's a lot happening and...
0:20:09 > 0:20:13So I think that's the reason why people end up staying.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16To me, apart from maybe a certain muted mood,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20there are no obvious connections between Gareth's work and back home
0:20:20 > 0:20:24but that's not true of all Northern Irish artists working in the city.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28I've come to The Briggait to meet Omagh-born artist Peter McCaughey.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31His studio is about a mile from Gareth's
0:20:31 > 0:20:34and the two artists play badminton once a week.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37This is a, kind of, self-portrait, this print
0:20:37 > 0:20:42and in it are a range of photographs and drawings that include this image.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44Straightaway catches your eye, doesn't it?
0:20:44 > 0:20:46So, as you come off the Ballygawley roundabout
0:20:46 > 0:20:49and you're heading to Omagh, you find this sign that says...
0:20:51 > 0:20:54And, of course, what was below was "Londonderry,"
0:20:54 > 0:20:58and, as you can see, somebody has, as they do, painted out "London"
0:20:58 > 0:21:02in a nice shade of green to match the signs so it's almost invisible.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Somebody else has come along, and what I love about this image
0:21:06 > 0:21:09is the decision, not to take out the word "Derry",
0:21:09 > 0:21:11but to take out the five.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14- Yeah, yeah. - So what does this say, then?
0:21:14 > 0:21:17It, kind of, says, "You cancel me out? I cancel you out.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20- "What are we left with?"- Nothing.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23- If you hold that end I can, kind of...- OK, yeah.- Don't let it fall.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26"Don't let it fall," he says! Ah!
0:21:26 > 0:21:29It's a tight one. Yeah.
0:21:29 > 0:21:30Oh, that's good.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35These are me, kind of, acting the eejit all across the world, actually.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37Anywhere I go and I find one of these bent signs
0:21:37 > 0:21:41I position myself as a pole bender and, kind of, hold that position,
0:21:41 > 0:21:42kind of, static...
0:21:42 > 0:21:45for as long as possible.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48The only place where I was ever arrested for doing this
0:21:48 > 0:21:52was in Glasgow where two police officers came along and said,
0:21:52 > 0:21:54"What are you doing to our sign?"
0:21:54 > 0:21:56As though I might be strong enough to do it.
0:21:56 > 0:21:57Do you not think this is,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00this reflects your Northern Ireland sense of humour, don't you think?
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Absolutely, most definitely where it kicks in, you know?
0:22:03 > 0:22:05You weren't a city boy, were you?
0:22:05 > 0:22:07No, I'm a, I'm a culchie
0:22:07 > 0:22:11and have suffered at the hands of being a culchie ever since.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13You know, it's still in my blood!
0:22:13 > 0:22:18The idea of being from a market town, living in a big city, you know?
0:22:18 > 0:22:21And I still think that there is a type of way that you know the world,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24when you come from a wee place,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26that you have to fight for that knowledge
0:22:26 > 0:22:30when you come to the urbane situation of the big city.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34And that's, kind of, that is an idea that runs through a lot of my work.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36'The more I talk to Peter
0:22:36 > 0:22:40'the more I get the sense that he sees his Northern Irishness
0:22:40 > 0:22:42'as a fundamental part of his art,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44'yet his work as an environmental artist
0:22:44 > 0:22:48'and as a creative adviser to the Glasgow Housing Association,
0:22:48 > 0:22:51'link him firmly to the city that has become his home.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55'I wonder if he feels it's possible to straddle two countries in this way.'
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Are you comfortable in this city?
0:22:57 > 0:23:03Do you feel, erm, part of the culture that's here in Glasgow?
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Yeah, I mean, I love this city.
0:23:05 > 0:23:10I wouldn't have stayed here and I am, as you have reminded me,
0:23:10 > 0:23:12such a home bird and yet I've stayed here.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17I have been exactly half my life in this city.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23The more I talk to people, the more I can see why
0:23:23 > 0:23:27it's actually quite difficult to define exactly what it is
0:23:27 > 0:23:30that makes someone from Northern Ireland feel so Northern Irish
0:23:30 > 0:23:32and someone from Scotland feel so Scottish,
0:23:32 > 0:23:36and yet, they can still feel a connection between each other.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Perhaps a visit here might be helpful?
0:23:46 > 0:23:48I've come to The Stand comedy club,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51set up by a man from Coleraine, Tommy Shepherd.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54On tonight's bill are Northern Irish comics Martin Mor,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58also from Coleraine, and Owen O'Neill, who comes from Cookstown.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01My ginger brethren live here -
0:24:01 > 0:24:08- 25% of the world's redheaded population live in Scotland.- 25%.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11And the other 75% are in prison.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15You make a point of bringing in Northern Ireland acts,
0:24:15 > 0:24:16why do you do that?
0:24:16 > 0:24:18I think there's an awful lot of similarities
0:24:18 > 0:24:21between the humour in Northern Ireland and Glasgow,
0:24:21 > 0:24:22and the West of Scotland.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24I mean, they're only 12 miles apart, at the end of the day, you know.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27And there's an awful lot of people move between one and the two.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30There's an awful lot of people live in Glasgow with Irish roots
0:24:30 > 0:24:32and they very much like the humour.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34You know, I thought I'd heard every single name there is to hear
0:24:34 > 0:24:36for a ginger-haired person.
0:24:36 > 0:24:37I thought I'd heard them all, you know?
0:24:37 > 0:24:38Carrot Top -
0:24:38 > 0:24:40which is wrong cos it's green!
0:24:43 > 0:24:49- I mean, Glasgow, for me, is just like doing Belfast, really.- Why?
0:24:49 > 0:24:53Because they are the same tribe. They are the same people, I think.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56You know, genetically. The genetic pool is the same.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01There are very, kind of, a working-class, you know, people.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03You know, you can't get away with anything
0:25:03 > 0:25:06and, of course, there's a healthy interest in sectarianism.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08What, do you mean you're all Prods?
0:25:08 > 0:25:11That's OK, I don't mind a load of Prods.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Well, you know, not too many, obviously!
0:25:13 > 0:25:16You know, then a march breaks out, obviously, don't they?
0:25:16 > 0:25:20But the sectarianism thing, it's a strange one, isn't it?
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Because, you know, it isn't a funny subject
0:25:23 > 0:25:26- but you feel quite comfortable... - Definitely a funny subject!
0:25:26 > 0:25:29- I think it is a funny subject. - It's definitely a funny subject!
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Which bit of it have you missed?! THEY LAUGH
0:25:31 > 0:25:34I like that kind of a frisson in the audience where you don't know...
0:25:34 > 0:25:36You know, the audience are thinking,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38"Which way's he going to go with this?"
0:25:38 > 0:25:41And so you have to be careful but I like that. I like that edge.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43And the people that would be offended...
0:25:43 > 0:25:45The people that would be offended by that
0:25:45 > 0:25:46aren't people I care about anyway.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48I have a friend called Sue
0:25:48 > 0:25:51and me and Sue were talking recently and the story's basically this.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54I thought I was going to Australia to do a comedy festival
0:25:54 > 0:25:56and she said to me, "Are you going to Australia?"
0:25:56 > 0:25:57and it had fallen through.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00And Sue says to me, she says, "How do you feel about that?"
0:26:00 > 0:26:02And I said, I think Scottish people say this as well,
0:26:02 > 0:26:06"Ach, well, what's for you won't pass you." You say that, don't you?
0:26:06 > 0:26:08If you're going to get something you get it.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11And Sue's posh English and she said, "Is that an Irish saying?"
0:26:11 > 0:26:14I said, "I think it is." And she said, "I'm going to use that."
0:26:14 > 0:26:17And as she walked away I could hear her muttering,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19"What's furry and walks past you?"
0:26:19 > 0:26:21LAUGHTER
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Just thinking about the language that you use, do you have to,
0:26:24 > 0:26:26you know, change words at all?
0:26:26 > 0:26:28In England you wouldn't refer to children as "weans"
0:26:28 > 0:26:32but here you just say, "Oh, some weans the other day..." whatever.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34There's just no problem.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37For me, cos I improvise quite a lot,
0:26:37 > 0:26:39It opens up a different part of your brain
0:26:39 > 0:26:41because you're not having to worry
0:26:41 > 0:26:43whether you're communicating with them.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45You can just say what you want.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Do you remember Ice-T? You might be too young.
0:26:47 > 0:26:52He's the original hardcore black American gangsta rapper. Ice-T.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54I saw him in the Liquid Rooms, in Edinburgh. It was fantastic.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57He steps forward and goes like that, he goes like that, he goes,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00"Yo, if you're carrying a piece,
0:27:00 > 0:27:04"take your piece out and wave it in the air,"
0:27:04 > 0:27:06cos in LA a piece is a gun.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08Where I come from a piece is a sandwich!
0:27:10 > 0:27:13I was thinking, "How long does this concert last for?!"
0:27:15 > 0:27:18- Certainly in Glasgow and Belfast we'd be talking about "us".- Yes.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22But if you did that same story in London, for example, they already,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25there maybe is a thing of them looking down on the Irish.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Maybe less than it used to be
0:27:27 > 0:27:29but, whereas, we do a joke in which us, now,
0:27:29 > 0:27:31it's us all together that we're joking about.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34It's not that looking-down stereotype.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37I remember being in a pub in Derry once. It was a half-hour bomb scare.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40"Half-hour? Get the drinks in, now, come on, half an hour, come on!"
0:27:45 > 0:27:48"Come on, we can do this, come on!"
0:27:48 > 0:27:50Thank you, guys, I'm out of here. See you all again. Bye-bye.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56- 'How was it?'- 'Grand.' - 'Good, I thought it was good.'
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Yeah, I thought, you know, they laughed in all the right places.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01With a Glasgow gig,
0:28:01 > 0:28:03if you come out without being bottled you've done well!
0:28:03 > 0:28:07- You must have done all right then! - Yeah. Didn't even throw anything!
0:28:07 > 0:28:11'Watching a Glasgow audience lap up those performances,
0:28:11 > 0:28:13'you can see how close we are.'
0:28:13 > 0:28:18We laugh at the same stuff and there is no stronger bond than that.
0:28:18 > 0:28:19The people I have met,
0:28:19 > 0:28:24the ones who have come across the 12 miles, they feel at home here
0:28:24 > 0:28:29as I do as a Scot in Northern Ireland, and that's a good feeling.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd