Feliz aniversário para Celtic!
It seems somehow appropriate to be wishing my club many happy returns from the city where they became immortal.
The foundation of Celtic is a remarkable story.
Moreover, there are so many themes within the founding of the club that resonates with people all over the world.
Argentinians, Palestinians, and the Prime Minister of Albania.
And yet and yet.
Celtic, perhaps because of their immigrant roots, are still not fully accepted in the land where they were born.
There is nothing new about Theresa May’s “hostile environment”.
The reception that greeted the Irish on Clydeside, fleeing An Gorta Mór, was UKIP porn.
It did not take long for the locals to discover things about Paddy that all racists find out about their victims.
Apparently, the nation that had created the book of Kells and a legal system in the Iron Age that seemed eerily forward-looking were all congenital imbeciles once they arrived in Scotland.
According to these prominent Scots we Irish had brought in disease and criminality to pollute their tartan Shangri la.
The infamous Church and Nation Committee report in 1923 on “The Menace of the Irish Race to our Scottish Nationality” was classic eugenics.
As late as 1953 the same august Christian body was referring to the Irish in Scotland as “an alien race”.
The year before, in 1952, the SFA tried its utmost to get the Irish tricolour taken down from Parkhead.
In the end, they failed.
Although open to all from day one Celtic had emerged from that socially excluded community.
It is the live Irish connection that makes Celtic unique in contemporary Scottish football.
Sadly, it still rankles with some in modern Scotland that the descendants of those early immigrants still want to cherish their Irish heritage.
That hasn’t completely gone away you know.
For example, Glasgow is probably unique as a city with a large multi-generational Irish community that has no Saint Patrick’s Day parade.
The shambles of the recent Famine memorial build by the City Council has prompted the Irish community to decide to build their own!
If you want to help you can contact them here
The memorial, which has already been commissioned, will be in the grounds of St Mary’s in the Calton where Celtic FC was first formed on this day in 1887.
Today Celtic towers over the rest of Scottish football.
The Parkhead club has the largest stadium and the most season ticket holders.
They’re also, by some considerable distance, the most financially powerful in the land.
In a bizarre turn of events that appears to have generated something of a sporting advantage.
The Hoops have won the last nine domestic trophies and they are undefeated in 30 cup ties.
Andrew Kerins, born in County Sligo 18 May 1840 survived An Gorta Mór and made it his life’s work that no child would go hungry if he could help it.
I think today that he would be amazed at how his vision has grown.
Celtic are undoubtedly a corporate giant in Scottish football.
However, it would be for nothing if the original objective of the club was lost.
Thankfully, because of the fans that is not likely to happen.
“A football club will be formed for the maintenance of dinner tables for the children and the unemployed.”
Yes, I’m biased, but this is a special club.
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We Scots are Irish anyway…speaking as a Scot of little recent Irish heritage, but more Hebridean ancestry….we are Irish, we are Picts, we are Vikings….we’re all a mix. I’m European. Nice article.
There appears to be a flaw in the Celtic Wiki link.
Type in “A Football Club will be formed for the maintenance” and click on the Links to the Celtic Wiki and Celtic Fc Websites.
You know this already having been informed about this elsewhere.
My advice to you is accept that both are factually accurate but one preceded the other.
That will be the end of this thanks.
HH
That’s not the way proper researched sources work and I’m sure you can search for anything on the web to ‘prove’ a point except it doesn’t work that way.
The link from the Celtic website gives the incorrect quote without any attributable source, which it obviously can’t as its incorrect.
You’re floundering and just making things up now so I agree its best that you give up now.
You can lead a horse to water…
But a pencil must be lead ;
Graphite actually.
Wikipedia, although generally correct in most things in my humble opinion, is NOT regarded as an acceptable source in academia. I think it can be edited and added to by ANYONE.
The information was taken from the Celticwiki not Wikipedia.
I see some people have taken notice of a previous post of mine about sevco cheating and spending money they can’t afford to stop us doing 9 and 10 in a row . They are going for broke and stuff the consequences from SFA and the European governing bodies. As I said before they need to be put down NOW not after they have won a cup or a league title. By that time the horse has bolted and their job of stopping us would have been done and our club and others went along with it every bit of the way . GET THINGS MOVING NOW TO DEAL WITH SEVCO not after they have shit all over us .
Can anyone tell me where in their accounts the £24,8m they owe in transfer fees are the rugger guy is talking about please
The quote at the end is wrong.
There was no mention of the unemployed and, I assume, this was a more recent updating, no doubt for laudable purposes but factually incorrect and unlike other entities we shouldn’t rewrite history for any reason.
From the wonderful “CELTIC The Early Years” by Brendan Sweeney, the full quote is:
“The main object is to supply the east end conferences of the St Vincent de Paul Society, with funds for the maintenance of the “Dinner tables” of our needy children in the missions of St Mary’s, Sacred Heart and St Michael’s. Many cases of sheer poverty are left unaided through lack of means. It is therefore with this principal object that we have set afloat the Celtic and we invite you as one of our ever ready friends to assist in putting our new Park in proper working order for the coming football season”.
That quote although factually accurate was taken from the circular written in January 1888.
AFTER the Formation of the Club.
The original hand written Circular however which was written in November 1887 simply stated “ A football club will be formed for the maintenance of dinner tables for the children and the unemployed“.
It is is you who is wrong.
Source?
I prefer Brown and sometime Saracha on my Shawarma yersel?
Seek and he shall find
http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/The+first+circular.
http://www.celticfc.net/news/4822
Before you go down the a but, a but route take note of the information supplied regarding the details of the second Circular.
The date (post formation) the reason for the meeting and the list of attendees.
Then apply logic to the fact that there was an initial calling for a Club to be formed and the reasons stated why.
Then if that doesn’t convince you then ask yer self why Celtic Fc would get something so important wrong?
Pretty sure they did their own in-depth research into our humble beginnings.
You should try Shawarma with Saracha and Garlic Source 😘👍🏼
Nothing there, so do you want to try again?
I have to say, that I never ever encountered any Irishman in any of the construction sites I worked on, and I knew and employed scores of them, who ever had the desire to go “back home”. The large majority were from Donegal. Never ever heard of places like Glenties, Ballybofey or Creeslough till I met them, all grand workers. Even Brexit hasn`t made one iota of a difference, although they are now becoming rare on sites.
And by the way, there is a Famine Memorial at Carfin, open to all and everyone.
Spent a good chunk of my early years on my maternal grandparents farm between Ballybofey and Letterkenny. By the time my own children came along it was no longer a working farm. They missed out on so much.
Do you need to be in Scotland to draw attention to what is going on? Do you have to be in Palestine to draw attention and fight for the people who are being oppressed. There are lots of things you can do without being in the geographical area.
I would like to point out that the “…just one goal” statement came from the article and not my personal knowledge however in its defence, it was published on the March 27th and the goal in the 2-1 victory you refer to was scored on the 31st of March 4 days later. I would suggest it highlights another problem with Forrest and that is he seems to respond well to criticism and plays much better when “pushed”. Think back to his performances when Paddy Roberts was here the first time.
Phil two words.Hail Hail,
But is it really a “Special Club” Phil or simply a Corporate Entity that masquerades as one when it suits them?
I say this as the Celtic Foundation launches its wonderful Christmas Appeal.
Celtic have graciously donated £10,000 towards the appeal.
Now I ask you Phil is this what Brother Walfrid envisaged after he absorbed the words of John McFadden and set forth forming a Football Club that would put food in the belly’s of children and the unemployed alike?
Do you think he would look at the amount of money sat (gaining Interest every single day) in the Club accounts and think £10,000 was a “wonderful “ gesture by the “Club”?
I should think Brother Walfrid would think the interest alone from the money sat in the Celtic PLC accounts would be way more than the £10k put up by our very own Ebeneezer Scrooge’s at this festive period in time.
Perhaps Rugger Guy can work out just how much Interest has been Banked in the few months since the Final Accounts were signed off ( Post Balance Sheet events included)?
I have a personal Account from which I donate to needy causes from time to time.
This morning I deposited 50% of that Account towards the Celtic Foundation Appeal and the other 50% will follow when I see the “Club” do likewise and get a bit more charitable than they have shown today.
If not it will go to one of the many homeless Charities in the local area.
Why?
Because being a lifelong Celtic fan and descendant of Irish immigrants who came to Scotland during the wee famine (an gorta beag) I have a duty to help people out whenever and wherever I can.
No doubt just like the many.many Tims out there will as they pout money into this most noble of causes.
I want to believe in the phrase “ More Than A Club” as much as the next person but what I won’t do (neither should any of you) is sit back and watch hypocrites make a mockery of what they claim Celtic stands for.
I pray they see sense and dig a lot deeper than £10k.
God Bless Brother Walfrid and the Glasgow Celtic.
Peace to all men.
HH
Heartily agree with this post .
Just a thought – What would Bro. Walfrid think of our CEO earning upwards of £1 million per annum ( + bonuses ) when the club donates a ”wonderful” £10,000 to the Celtic Foundation ?
Hence my reference to the efforts of the supporters.
The charitable aims were watered down and the money men saw opportunities and moved in within a few short years.
Holy heck, pal. Must be nice in that ivory tower of yours.
So you think £10k from a Business who’s turnover has averaged £90m in the past 3 years ,has over £30m cash in the Bank and has just received £8.8m in Compensation from Leicester is adequate giving how much emphasis they put on Charity and our Ethos?
I don’t.
I think it’s an insult to every Celt who gives generously when asked or otherwise and an even bigger insult to the man who’s Statue greets these people on their way into work every day.
It needed saying.
HH
Aye. It does need saying. And far more often than it’s said at present.!
To me that is proper journalism really enjoyed reading this post. Thank you.
As regards Charlie Green, thank you so much Charlie. I have been saying this
for as long as i can remember. So many have a blinkered view of James.
In my opinion he is VERY average.
One other thing comes strikingly obvious to me.
You obviously have a very high regard Phil for T. Hutton and rightly so, but
should we not have a current board member of our own club that we could hold in the same esteem?
Thank goodness for the res’ 2012 guys, our current heroes.
Phill.im getting sick to death in the cheating Scottish football arena so today I sent a message to [email protected] to show how inept our governing bodies are .If “Rangers” have losses of £11.5m ,loans to the tune of 7mpluss interest,spent 10m,need 10m “investment “to see out season ,SD bill ,memorial bill and no strip for next season,How do they fulfill ffp in Europe.
I encourage all fans to email the head of uefa at above and ask .There is no point waiting till “Rangers ” catch up or beat Celtic do it now and stop the corruption.do it now.
Unusual for me but I have never been as confident going into a game against Sevco as I am with this years league cup final. Mohamed Elyounoussi could run riot and while Bolingoli will probably cost us a goal he can easily assist in a couple with his boundless energy.
The weakness for me is media favourite,James Forrest, brilliant as he may be, and I am not the only one. Read this from 67 Hail hail website from March this year.
https://www.67hailhail.com/news/james-forrest-step-celtic-talisman-rangers/
“James Forrest has had a glittering career at Celtic, but a plethora of big Glasgow derby performances hasn’t been part of it. The Celtic winger has often been quiet against Rangers. In 18 appearances against them, Forrest has netted just one goal”
He tends to start and get kept on until the 70 minute when perhaps, instead, he could come on with 20 mins to go when the opposition are getting tired. We could play someone like Shved from the kick off but it is not going to happen as Lennon seems to have a blind spot with regards Jamsie. However, we will win well even with a man short!
Charlie in my opinion you’re wrong in so many ways, the glaring one is he has scored only one goal against Rangers this is incorrect, in season 17/18 he scored the 2nd goal in our 5-0 victory.Last season he scored one of the most important goals of the season in our 2-1 victory in March.Jamesie has become one of our most important players with goals and assists making a great contribution to the team under BR and NL.
Read somewhere recently that he now has more assists than ANY OTHER player in our history. Not sure exactly how that conclusion was reached.
However, if being involved in a move that leads to a goal counts as an assist, big Eddie must be streets ahead of anyone in the country right now.
I replied to you as you can see further up the page but I would like to emphasise both the article and myself are referring to Forrests’ input with regards to matches involving just Sevco.
A truly wonderful post.
Millsy, I’m sorry….your comment is utter bunkum, So contingent on false, lazy and/or incomplete assumptions as to be unanswerable. Also,comes across as small minded and petty .Please think.
Phil , your protestations of the Irish diaspora in Scotland still having to overcome prejudice from certain quarters would carry more weight if YOU had not run away from the struggle .
Sniping from afar has an air of cowardice about it which some of us who remain to continue the struggle for a better society find a tad wearisome !
HH
Troll alert!! Once you got the plane to Dun na nGall you’re banned from mentioning racism in Scotland. Look the other way Paddy, this doesn’t concern you!
Why get on the plane ? Why not stay and support the rest of his fellow Scots here ?
HH
I think you find that the Book of Kells was made in Iona and not Ireland. Credit where it’s due, Cheers
Was Iona not part of Dál Riata at it’s time of writing?
Asking on behalf of the previous (and rightful) owners of Mull ,Coll and Tyree
Tiree’
Cyan, perhaps you were thinking of Tyre.