Broomielaw

Glasgow had the freedom of navigation of the River Clyde to the sea some twenty-seven miles westwards, confirmed later by Royal Charter signed by King James VI in 1611.

[1] From the early 1800s and increasingly after the invention of sea-going steamships in 1812 in Glasgow, the Broomielaw was a major part of Glasgow's harbour with shipping lines to all parts of the world, and an inventive and growing shipbuilding industry, becoming the wealthiest and largest in the world.

The area is also mentioned in some versions of the sea shanty "Donkey Riding": Was you ever on the Broomielaw Where the Yanks are all the go And the boys dance heel-and-toe Riding on a donkey [citation needed] The Broomielaw also features in the "Freedom Come-All-Ye" a popular anti-Imperialist song of the 1960s by Hamish Henderson in the Scots language.

The song refers to the role the quay played as a point of departure for the depopulation of Scotland through emigration.

Nae mair will our bonnie callants Merch tae war whan our braggarts crousely craw Nor wee weans frae pitheid an clachan Murn the ships sailin doun the Broomielaw