The fallout from the Celtic supporters convention in Las Vegas – and a stage presence of a former Celtic player alongside some well kent faces from stage and screen – has been somewhat predictable.
The mainstream media sensed the opportunity for hits, then politicians and the likes of pathetic Nil by Mouth have all stepped up with their own opinions, and whether you think them opportunistic or not they as we all are entitled to air their opinions.
Now whether the IRA add-ons to any song sung by Celtic supporters is to yours or my taste is down to the individual, but one thing it is not is sectarian – and that’s where I have a problem with it.
And Beautiful Sunday is a Celtic song, started in the build up to that 3-2 win at Ibrox in 2018 when Odsonne Edouard scored that memorable winner after Celtic were down to ten men. Celtic even played the song at the Paradise on the day the league was won with a 5-0 hammering of theRangers and later that year after Olivier Ntcham scored the winner in the first Glasgow Derby of the new season The Celtic View’s headline proclaimed another Beautiful Sunday.
And The Celtic Star even had these Beautiful Sunday t-shirts, which completely sold out…Zero to do with the IRA.
When the song was played at Celtic Park the majority were happy to sing along to the original lyrics while others used the alternative version that some of the supporters were singing in Vegas this week, presumably the chap holding the mobile phone. That’s up to him but to many Celtic fans the original lyrics bring back happy memories of skelpings in the Brendan Rodgers era.
There’s nothing wrong with singing Beautiful Sunday, End of, as Alan Thompson would say.
Pool party Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/fdx8G3hwZy
— Dublin No1 CSC (@DublinNo1CSC) June 17, 2022
Back to the main point and one that Nil By Mouth should be well aware of given their hands are frequently dipping the public purse. Sectarianism occurs when members of different denominations within a faith display bigotry and prejudice toward each other. Be that the Sunni and Shia within Islam, Orthodox and Reform within Judaism or Protestants and Catholics within Christianity and more besides. Unless that definition has altered to include freedom fighters or terrorists, depending on your point of view, it may not represent everyone’s political position, but sectarian it is not.
Songs of Irish freedom have always been connected with the Celtic support, and indeed the club itself in the early years, yet these days with the IRA being labelled a proscribed terrorist organisation by the country of the government who gave rise to the need of them in the first place, means those who sing certain songs or supply add-ons to others are in danger of being criminalised – in the UK, but they are not engaging in sectarianism.
Example of the folk currently outraged on my timeline. Not interested in what happened just a chance to point to score on one of ‘them’. Can’t help themselves but pic.twitter.com/MUjcfl4mUo
— martin compston (@martin_compston) June 16, 2022
From an Irish perspective they may well consider that after both discrimination and indeed persecution by a British Government who sponsored and indeed built a ‘state’ on their island with a principal underpinning it of one particular section of the population remaining in power in perpetuity, then when those discriminated against used peaceful means to demonstrate against the injustice, only to be met with violence from the police and subsequently the British Army, it is far from surprising – and a situation not exclusive to Ireland – that those who felt hopeless, despised and without the same freedoms as others around them, should turn to violence to meet violence. And when you are up against the might of a colonial power and army, then guerrilla tactics are bound to emerge as a way to fight back. For many in Ireland that involved the IRA.
Has singing about that anything to do with football? Possibly not, and by all means open up that debate. But Celtic isn’t simply a football club to many, and I won’t spend paragraphs explaining why in detail, because we all know that is the case. Borne of an Irish immigrant population what goes on in Ireland matters to a great deal of Celtic fans, part of that is the passing down of songs and traditions and over the years of a struggle for civil rights and ultimately a unified Ireland some of those songs of course have included the IRA.
With the process now slowly moving towards a political solution to the wishes of many in Ireland, it seems an ultimately failed military struggle will be more successful via the ballot box and political debate, rather than violence. As such the need for an IRA in any form may no longer be relevant, yet the songs remain – and possibly will do so until a unified Ireland emerges from the political process.
After that and as the years pass, such songs may well become passe, but for now to many they still remain relevant, and although not necessarily to everyone’s taste when it comes to content or relevancy in this day and age, remain they do. Whilst to some politically they may be unpalatable, that too is fine, argue that point, but don’t make it about sectarianism – because we all know that’s a case of false equivalency.
Sectarian splashing at Vegas shocking pic.twitter.com/9eI7k83RBW
— Teslatims (@cscirvineno1) June 17, 2022
Those involved in Las Vegas can defend themselves and appear to be doing so, but if we’re going to see them targeted for anything make it a political debate and do not label them as religious bigots as some in the mainstream press and other organisations and politicians have tried to do, because singing about the IRA or any other freedom fighting organisation, or indeed terrorist group, depending on your viewpoint, is a debate worth having in its own right. There is no need to try and make it about two cheeks of the same backside, about religious intolerance on both sides of a divide, because none of that is relevant in this instance.
What may have been sung, added or encouraged in Las Vegas is a debate Celtic fans may wish to have, and others are entitle to argue that too, but such a debate is never going to happen if it’s included in a discussion surrounding sectarianism, because what happened there does not fall under that category, no matter how the mainstream press, politicians or anti-sectarianism charities may wish to dress it.
Shaun Riley
I'm interested in one thing and one thing only son and that's bent beautiful Sunday singers. pic.twitter.com/2xiik0uYAO
— 🏴 Boyle🇻🇦 (@Boyle_67) June 18, 2022
I had to read that twice – £3.68 for a bottle of Whyte and Mackay? pic.twitter.com/Ymj57Ys42f
— Johnstone Tully (@johnstone_tully) June 17, 2022
Never forget @ScottishFA @spfl @theSNP pic.twitter.com/9XQlxucCV7
— @LiedAndDied (@MoonbeamsDidIt) June 17, 2022
What about the full squad singing away ? https://t.co/EUdD8iscQG pic.twitter.com/NNhLOzuTRz
— ɢʀᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴜʟᴅ ᴛᴇᴀᴍ (@GrandAuldTeam_) June 16, 2022
David Potter’s new book, Willie Fernie – Putting on the Style is featured in the new edition of the Celtic View which is out now and available from the Celtic Stores. You can also pick up the Willie Fernie book there too or order direct from Celtic Star Books, link below…
Sectarianism by definition has to be about religious intolerance.
Whatever your views about the IRA or INLA we can all agree they are not religious organisations.
The Sectarian label applies to one club ( two really, but one of them was liquidated and no longer exists) and one club only. Sevco .
Don’t look at us look at Timmy is a well used Sevconian deflection tactic.
Its those who practice sectarianism who regularly wield it as a weapon, tarnishing others with their practices, usually as a deflective tactic, as is often the case with those of an Ibrox persuasion!
Nil by mouth are a complete nonsense organisation, and a totally pointless one given they don’t have the first clue about what they’re supposed to represent and often stick their noses in where they’re don’t belong while at the same time ignoring the most blatant forms of social bigotry which followers of the Ibrox clubs are proudly steeped in!
Honestly its like a Monty Python sketch this place at times, with those in positions of public influence, who should know better, being completely oblivious to the fact that they’re often the problem, or a major contributor to it, either through their actions or inactions!
Brilliant article Shaun 👏 Finally someone with an actual working brain ! Fed up arguing about this issue with perpul too stupid to comprehend the difference between the fight for freedom & being sectarian. Some should tend their own their own glasshouses.
Are the Scots who want Independence also sectarian?
We all want the freedom from the” Brits “our countries deserve and rightfully so. Let Boris and his peepul stick to destroying the rest of UK . Tories are not for us
There’s nothing wrong with the song or the lyrics the Celtic fans have changed to our beliefs..the thing that’s wrong here is the fukn idiots gtn there phones out n videoing people enjoying themselves in theyr own company n thinking it’s a good idea to put it on social media no phones no story..keep ur fukn phone in ur pocket simple
Excellent piece. The hell and the arrogance of British Empire, thankfully in it’s death throes . Still awaiting it’s final breath. Can’t be long now.