When Aiden McGeady left Celtic for his new club in Russia, I wrote this piece for the Irish Post.
Throughout his time in Fair Caledonia, the Irish international was subjected to racist abuse at every ground he played at.
Yesterday he gave the BBC’s Kenny Macintyre several opportunities to proffer an opinion as to why McGeady suffered this vitriol.
The Irishman even pointed out that other Scottish born players had decided to play their international football for heritage countries.
Yet they had not been subjected to allegations of sporting treason.
He even named them to assist his interviewer.
Still, the BBC man couldn’t somehow bring himself to state the blindingly obvious.
Your humble correspondent offered the Brit broadcaster some assistance.
If he doesn’t know the answer in future, he can always phone a Fenian.
McGeady’s cultural crime in Fair Caledonia was his country of choice.
Throughout the 20th century, one of the central organising principles of Scottish society was to curtail any cultural space to the Irish community.
This was, in part, done by denying the very existence of the 2GI descent group.
Consequently, a Scottish-born player standing to attention facing the tricolour as Amhrán na bhFiann was played was too much for some in nice fluffy multi-cultural Scotland.
It was proof that an Irish descent group was extant in Fair Caledonia.
Today Scotland still abnormalises itself apropos one of the largest ethnic minorities in that part of Britain.
The comparison between Glasgow and large cities in England is stark.
I recently pointed out to a Glasgow City Councillor that their failure to have a Saint Patrick’s Day parade was rather noticeable.
Dear reader, he couldn’t give me a satisfactory explanation.
That’s because there isn’t one.
There is an inconvenient fact that probably boils the piss of many in Scotland, including those in the media.
Aiden McGeady is an Irish person.
For the avoidance of doubt, so is this journalist.
Our failure to accept second class Scottishness is our cultural crime.
I’m glad to see that Aiden is as unrepentant about being Irish as this fella in Dún na nGall.
As dual citizen of Ireland and Britain with a Glasgow born catholic heritage I have seen many examples of anti Catholicism through out the world where my work has taken me, in India in the 90’s when nuns were being killed by Hindu,s rioting at our local convent, in the USA at the so called Highland games, they were surprised I was not a Mason, and of course in Scotland because my surname is seen as a non catholic getting by the first interview only to be rejected by my first name. However, I always challenged these individuals and organizations and found that by leading by example is the best method of overcoming such bigotry as shown by the interview of Rees Mogg on BBC on the Politic show. Finally in the Republic when working I was shown a letter sent to the employee’s dated the 8th of December, I commented on the date and a huge sigh of relief went up and one of the managers said “he’s one of us” goes to show you never know who your talking too.
McGeady was treated shockingly by opposition fans. Yes jealousy but like Lennon there was an underlying Anti-Irish racism element and that is a disgrace. The SFA need to do more to stamp it from our game. From a Celtic point of view we lost a talent but my own view is the 10m helped rebuild the squad and it worked – we needed it. I think we bought more with the 10m than we lost. But overall he was a fine player for us and the Scottish game lost a talent. The anti-Irish racism is a disgrace on the game and Scottish society.
Phil,sadly no change here in West of Scotland
McGeady is indeed an Irish person, and a Scottish person. He was born in Scotland, as were his parents and two of his four grandparents. There is no contradiction. He explains his decision to represent Ireland well in the interview, as he has previously. He had represented Scotland at youth level, before moving to Celtic who had rules that conflicted with the SFA schools rule (as did Rangers, I think). Had that rule not existed, he would very possibly have continued representing Scotland up through the various levels. Having done so, the logic holds that he would have gone on to play for the first team. That is, the same logic he has always applied to his decision to represent Ireland.
McCarthy, from memory, didn’t really get ‘the same’ at all. Indeed, McCarthy, by his own admission, played for Ireland at youth level because Scotland overlooked him. He’s even said that he would have played for Scotland at senior level, but he continued to be overlooked and so, quite rightly chose to carry on with the Republic – the birthplace of one of his four grandparents.
The difference between the two is exactly as McGeady points out – he played for Ireland and he played for Celtic.
It’s a worrying trend, because Tommy Coyne, say, didn’t receive anything like that abuse ‘at every ground in the country’ (which is not to say, at no ground). Indeed, he was a huge hit at Motherwell. You’d have to conclude that this problem has gotten worse between the 80s-90s and now (or at least, when McGeady broke through in the early to mid 00s).
A bit of a digression, but I’m also interested in the confluence of terms. 1G is at least one Irish parent? 2G, at least one Irish grandparent? Both eligible to play for the Republic, in footballing terms (though neither, if the parent/grandparent is from the six counties, though anyone born there could). Both are different from ‘multi-generational-Irish-diaspora’, which is anyone at all with Irish ancestry dating back to the middle of the nineteenth century (and before)? Always important in discussions on this issue not to overlap the first two with the third, I suppose. In terms of census data, it’s impossible to track the economic mobility of the latter. On both sides of my own family, say, there are Irish great grandparents. But I know (because I asked) that none of my grandparents and neither of my parents ever declared themselves as ‘Irish’ in a census form, or anywhere else. The problem, in terms of the socioeconomic mobility of that group could be better (or worse) than we think. In all likelihood the ‘multi-generational’ group accounts for well upwards of 40% of the Scottish population, and has done for some time – especially given that 1G/2G terms, only one ancestor would be needed to meet the description. Indeed, it seems unlikely that it wouldn’t apply to a sizeable chunk of Ibrox season ticket holders.
Nope, Irish +Celtic = Catholic = hatred
Aye, Phil, Aiden McGeedy was a wonderful footballer, wherever he played. I was really disappointed when he closed his restaurant in Shawlands, but. 🙁
Anyway, I would love Glasgow to hold an annual St Pat’s Day Parade. I think it would be great for the city’s international reputation.
The only reason we don’t have one is the fear of how a certain group would react to it. That should never be a problem for the authorities, simply deal with it if it does happen. Such a parade needn’t disrupt city operations too much either. Initially, it could go from New Gorbals Park along Crown Street, where all sides of my extended Irish family lived, over the river and into Glasgow Green. Let the river be green from the suspension bridge down to the tidal barrier, simply raise the barrier for an hour or two for this. (When they lower the barrier the river might still be nice and green as it passes the stadium where John Brown used to play 🙂).
If the other mob react badly and spoil the day with their usual shite, then that would be a good reason to ban all orange walks in the city thereafter. If we can’t have ours, they can’t have theirs. A Win-Win as far as I can see.
💚🤍🧡