The Irish left their homeland due to push and pull factors. The potato famine, or potato blight, ruined crops in Ireland in the 1840s, leaving many farmers impoverished and starving (push factor). Many Irish immigrants arrived in Scotland during this time. Before 1840, Irish could get passage to Scotland for only 6 pence, allowing temporary work, and this was a pull factor. Most Irish settlers lived in western Scotland near Glasgow and Dundee, working low-skilled manual jobs like mining, shipbuilding, and textile work. They faced hostility from Scots due to tensions over jobs and religion, but still formed strong Irish communities within Scottish society.