The Scottish Cup Final in 1887 between
Dumbarton and Edinburgh Hibernians marked a new dawn for
Scottish, if not European, football.Played in Glasgow, Hibernian
won the trophy and the club secretery,John McFadden,spoke
to the thousands of people who were celebrating.He announced
that the victory was dedicated to 'every Irish Catholic
in Scotland'.He challenged the people of Glasgow to form
a successful 'Irish' club.After, Dr.John Conway, an active
member of Glasgow's Irish Catholic community commended Edinburgh
Hibs on their achievement, seeing in the football club's
determination to win on the park as a political example
to be followed.He said 'the goal of every Irishman's ambition-the
legislative independance of his country-will soon be attained'.This
was greeted by the crowd with a rendition of 'God Save Ireland',
a cry yelled by the Manchester Martyrs as they were publically
hanged at the time of the Fenian Rising 20 years before.
Glasgow had suffered badly through poverty.This especially
effected the Irish immigrants which made up a huge part
of Glasgow's labour force.The majority of Glasgow's Irish
lived in the East End and it was here that a determined
group of men helped their fellow people through this difficult
time.Vast amounts of money were raised through St.Vincent
de Paul and other charities but still people were hungry,
unemployed and impoverished.
It was after the 1887 Cup Final that Brother Walfrid, a
native from Ballymote, Co.Sligo realised the passion that
the Irish community had for football.It was time that they
had a team to represent Glasgow's Irish.Hibs had been a
huge success in Edinburgh and Dundee Harp were very popular
also.The majority of Hibs fans at the 1887 Cup Final were
from the East End of Glasgow.Dr.John Conway, John Glass
and Bro.Walfrid all agreed that Glasgow should have its
own Irish club.Glass, was a member of the local building
firm which had a huge Irish workforce.The three met reguarly
with the community to discuss charity for the Irish Catholics
in the East End.
It was from these meetings that Pat Welsh
became involved.Welsh had been prisoned by the British Army
after the Fenian Rising in 1867.He was to be hanged in his
native Dublin for his part in the rebellion, when he escaped
with the aid of British Army sergeant Maley, who allowed
his Irish patriotism overcome his military duty.Maley helped
Welsh settle in Glasgow and he went on to become a professional
tailor.Welsh was such a close friend of the Maley family,
who themselves were casualties of the Irish tragedy, that
he encouraged Maley's two sons Tom and William to help in
the founding of a Glasgow Irish club.
At the time there were over 40 Irish Catholic clubs throughout
Scotland.As the only successful clubs were based in Dundee
and Edinburgh the Maley brothers believed that Glasgow's
club was going to be short lived.However, it has to be said
that Celtic would never have become so successful had it
not been for the two brothers, who both went onto play for
the club.Willie Maley was to become manager and later Chairman.
Once the men had decided on Glasgow Celtic as the name of
the club and a venue in Parkhead was in place, Celtic was
put into action.However, bigotry was rife and the club were
often the victims by the Glasgow press.(Not much has changed
then).It was little wonder, then, that the Irish community
seized upon Celtic as a symbol of hope.The pride in the
club's early success was a sublimation of appalling living
and working conditions.At Celtic Park on Saturday, they
could exact some form of revenge for the rest of the week.
In those early days there was no disguising the sympathies
of the club.Its players and directors often lent their names
to demonstrations in support of Irish freedom.The tri colour
flew at the clubs ground and the team played in the colours
of the Emerald Isle.It had the symapthies of the Irish people
wherever they were found and Catholic priests were granted
free admission to the matches.The majority of this is still
alive, except the clubs directors have broken with tradition
and divorced itself from Irish politics.However, the Celtic
supporters continue to support the cause for Irish freedom
and still to this day believe in Dr.John Conway's words
that 'the independence of his country-will soon be attained'.
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