In 1875, Hibernian were one of the first clubs in Scotland to seek to give the Irish community a place at the table of Scottish football. Dundee Hibernians, later to be known as Dundee United, came much later, in 1909, formed by businessmen with Irish roots. There were many others, which came and went, barely to be remembered now as anything more than curios appearing in historical reference books.
Some Scottish journalists railed against the early Irish clubs, decrying their use of the words, “Hibernian” or “Shamrock”, and urging them to come up with “proper names”.
In 1887, they got their wish with the foundation of Celtic. It could easily be forgotten that in the early days, it was Hibernian that was the inspiration for Celtic as well as being the more strident in its interpretation of how best to further the interests of an oppressed Irish Catholic community in Scotland.
Its early policy of favouring players of Catholic backgrounds is now nothing more than a historical foible, one that Celtic would choose not to follow. Yet, without Hibs – without the vision the Edinburgh club inspired – there may never have been a Celtic.
Today Hibernian FC is far removed from the ideals of that early club though it will still attract a greater proportion of supporters of Irish origin than its Edinburgh rivals, Hearts. Celtic, through the will of its supporters, clings more dearly to the culture and heritage that gave it breath – the Irish in Scotland.
It is apt that the club should commemorate Famine Memorial Day. Celtic was born of Irish blood, sweat and tears. Impoverished men built the first Celtic Park with their bare hands for no pay. They were not building a brand or a business but an ideal; a vehicle in which to invest the dreams of the wretched. They created something bigger than themselves, something enduring through which the humble might know glory, where people deprived of education might write and live a great story.
The league of legends is just one aspect of our club's history. The unnamed million is another no less deserving of commemoration. Some would say that we should speak less of them; that our inclusiveness demands it. Yet our origins and identity are embraced the world over, often by those without a drop of Celtic blood. In Catalunya, in Palestine, in post-Communist Europe – wherever people recognise a struggle for dignity and identity in a hostile culture, you will find people who see parallels with their own story. They see no barriers in the Irishness of Celtic.
Let us hope that those who direct the club's future remain as clear-sighted and that supporters will remain watchful should there ever be a hint that that identity might ever be diminished. On Sunday Celtic will wear a Celtic cross around the corporate trademark of Celtic plc, one more sign of changing values. But tradition is a thing that, once lost, you may never hope to re-find.
The club statement reads: “We are a club open to all and while we celebrate our traditions, it is important that we also celebrate our diversity.” We always have done.
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