Morag Fisher's working life.
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1986.161
Original Tape ID
Summary
Morag Fisher's working life.
When girls left school on Vatersay they went into service or nursing and boys went to sea. Morag Fisher went to Edinburgh and learned to be a telephonist, then went to work in a hotel. Jobs were found by looking in the newspapers. She worked for a long time in the Palace Hotel in Fort William with Mr and Mrs Stewart, who treated her like a daughter and spoke to her in Gaelic. She used to decorate the tables for weddings. Her fellow workers were mostly from Glasgow. When Mrs Fisher worked in Glasgow she used to meet other girls from the islands under the Hielandman's Umbrella, and met boys there too. The Irish boys were rivals with the Highland boys for the girls' attention.
The girls exchanged information about where not to take a job. The Glasgow girls in Fort William advised Mrs Fisher not to go to work for Jews in Glasgow, but when she did she found they were good employers and she liked the kosher food. Her daughter Cindy is named after one of their daughters. They owned a clothing factory, and would happily give Mrs Fisher clothes, but were less keen to part with money. In the Hebrides people were also reluctant to part with money. They exchanged goods with neighbours, because they didn't have much money.
Item Notes
The Hielandman's Umbrella is the nickname of a railway bridge near the Central Station in Glasgow.
Item Subject/Person
Fisher, Mrs Morag [MacDonald, Morag]
Language
English
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Cd
Audio Quality
Good