Paisley was once the threadmaking capital of the world. At its height, J. & P. Coats was reportedly the third-largest industrial company in the world. All this success was built on the backs of the thousands of workers employed in Paisley’s threadmaking industry. 

 

The weavers used a fine weft yarn called the sma’ shot to make the shawls, but the manufacturers refused to pay them for weaving this essential, largely unseen thread. The workers fought for years and in 1856 finally won their fight for payment. The weavers’ summer holiday, the first Saturday in July, became known as Sma’ Shot Saturday, and developed into a celebration of their victory. The tradition faded before being brought back in 1986 by the Paisley community, to pay homage to the town’s history and to celebrate workers fighting for their rights.

 

Forty years after that revival, Shaun’s mural celebrates Paisley’s people, its history, and the enduring tradition of Sma’ Shot Day.