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Celtic Football Club and It's Importance to the Irish Identity.
Celtic Football Club and It's Importance to the Irish Identity.
Celtic Football Club was founded in 1887 by Irish Catholic Priest Brother Walfrid in Glasgows East end, the destination of hundreds of Thousands of Irish Settlers following a 3rd man-made famine in Ireland.
Celtic Football Club, founded by an Irishman as a charity to aid the Irish poor across Glasgow and back home in Ireland, much like the Edinburgh club "Hibernian" found it's presence to be the centre hub of Irish Culture in their respective Cities.
Supporters from both clubs, would go onto participate in the Irish Revolutions, fight for it's freedom. Michael DAVITT, was an Irish Patriot who with Charles PARNELL founded the Irish National Land League. The Land League was instrumental in demanding better rights.
In 1892, Davitt lay grass sprinkled with shamrocks at the first "Celtic Park". The grass came from Donegal and was a symbolic to the Irish identity of Celtic Football Club. That day Celtic played a match against Clyde F.C. and Davitt was accompanied by a great many fans.
“I have never felt sicker of politics than I did that afternoon when I had to leave that splendid exhibition of football being given by Clyde and Celtic to attend a political meeting.”
Since the clubs foundation, the Flag of Ireland(in various forms) has flown at Celtic Games, even to this day the Irish Tricolour flies over Celtic Park. Along with this, a large portion of match day receipts found their way over to Ireland and a donation cup was passed around.
Few around now to remember it, but it's a story that was passed down from generations in my family if the "IRA tin". After the Easter Rising, a tin made it's way around Celtic Park, donations for which went straight to the Irish Republican Army.
This was the Original Irish Republican Army, the one who fought the largest Empire on Earth. The Irish War of Independence and later the Irish Civil War were defining moments in Irish History and their outcomes shaped Celtic fans forever more.
In 1922, the Official Flag of Ireland flew over Celtic Park. The green, white and orange tricolour of the Irish Republic.
This flag was presented to Celtic Football Club by the official interim government of the Irish Free State, in thanks for the support in the Irish fight for freedom. Celtic flew this very flag until 1952, when it was in dire need of replacement.
So Celtic wrote to taoiseach Eamonn De Valera who supplied the club with a new flag.
By this time: Celtic meant "Irish" in Scotland. The Irish Migration to Glasgow is widely considered to be the biggest cultural shift in the history of Scotland. It defined so much of Scotlands industry, workforce and culture.
And this matters, because Scotland, much like Ulster was divided into 2 camps. Irish Nationalist and Ulster Loyalist. The two clubs(Celtic and Rangers) would become symbolic of the troubles. Even to this day.
William Campbell, UVF and Rangers supporter bombed 15 "Celtic Pubs" in Glasgow. This led to fears the "Troubles" in Ireland would spill onto Scottish soil.
Thankfully that never happened, but the symbolism of the conflict still manifests itself at the clubs.
Celtic throughout the conflict and to this day remains avid supporters of the Irish fight for freedom, the Irish people and Culture. However; Rangers' Loyalist supporters are actively anti-Irish, anti-catholic bigots.
So fundamentally, so you will find it incredibly challenging to find an Irishman who prefers Rangers to Celtic, in fact in most of Ireland it is actively frowned upon. Even though Celtic are only the 3rd most "supported" club in Ireland, more Irish people actively like Celtic.
So TLDR:
Celtic financially supported Irish politicians who ensured Irelands freedom, aimed to minimize the impact of Irish poverty in Glasgow and Ireland. Sent financial aid for the war effort in 1918, represented and fought against Irish Oppression from day 1.
Celtic financially supported Irish politicians who ensured Irelands freedom, aimed to minimize the impact of Irish poverty in Glasgow and Ireland. Sent financial aid for the war effort in 1918, represented and fought against Irish Oppression from day 1.
In other words:
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