I was wondering if you could kindly put me in contact with any of the excellent writers of Celtic’s history on your superb site. I’m trying to get some more info re ma Great Granda, Harry McIlvenny.
The club have never been helpful nor acknowledged our Great Granda’s career at the club, when in actual fact his career typified how much both Erin and Abla are intrinsically linked by our club’s name. An Irish club playing in Scotland and certainly treated as such.
There was a chap called Cartuja who sometimes has articles on the site and has excellent knowledge of the club and humour of The Celtic Family, perhaps he or others may know somd more.
Harry started off at Parkhead Jnrs and signed for Hoops 3 times in his career, leaving as a Title winner. There is stuff on Celtic Wiki and he’s for sure one of the games early characters by leaving games early to get trains to London but Hamilton seem to have more on him than Celtic sadly and it reflects on how many title winners are forgotten by the club.
There is not much on his Belfast Celtic career anywhere, sadly racism killed that club and much of its history with it, including a stadia turned into a supermarkert. I do have his signing certificate to Hamilton but other members of family have vases from Willie Maley etc and Harry seemed to be a well respected player who helped us win our first of 6 titles in a row at the turn of last century.
I know we played the deady bears in a play off that year and won, hopefully sometime soon your site will get to that historic season, I think it’s at 1890s presently, which is first era ma Great Granda signed.
Father John Hughes knew of him and our family and ma Great Gran Meme Parker have a longstanding link to St Marys Calton and origins of the club and Roman Catholicism, my Great Aunts taught at St Marys.
I do know from family that the McIlvenny name has a long history with Glasgow and Ireland, I am very proud that in some way our family has brought success to Celtic Football Club 1888.
It just be good to see a wee article on him to celebrate his career and Celtic history.
It’s a Club and way of Life. Hail Hail
John P Beaton
The Celtic Wiki as you would expect have gathered information on Harry McIlvenny, although they seem to believe that his christian name is Henry and not Harry, as both Partick Thistle and Hamilton state. As John’s correspondence, from the former Celtic player’s family confirms that his name was indeed Harry, then we’ll go for that. Here’s the link to Harry’s entry on The Celtic Wiki.
There is no photograph of the player on The Celtic Wiki and the only one I could find this morning is this one which comes from his time at Partick Thistle.
We didn’t contact Cartuja, who remains a valuable member of our team, but instead asked Celtic Historian David Potter to help.
David Potter also it seems refers to the former Celtic forward as Henry rather than Harry. Perhaps John will clear this up for us? Here is David Potter’s response to John’s enquiry about his great grand-dad…
DAVID POTTER’S RESPONSE..HENRY McILVENNY
Hello John, Nice to hear from you. I don’t think I know an awful lot more about your great-grandfather than you know already.
His time at Celtic seems to have been very unfortunate for several reasons. He was not the only person to be scapegoated for the Arthurlie disaster of early January 1897, and he was unfortunate in the 1904/05 season to a centre forward at Celtic Park in the season that Jimmy Quinn at last realised that centre forward was his best position, not the left wing. It was no disgrace to lose out to Jimmy Quinn. Davie McLean was the same a few years later.
Henry seems to have been one of those players who, although Celtic daft, played his best football for teams like Hamilton Accies and Ayr. He was good enough – but simply not quite as good as Jimmy Quinn. Davie McLean was the same – his best football was for Sheffield Wednesday and Dundee.
Different position of course, but I was always sorry for John McNamee and John Cushley in the 1960s. The were good enough centre halves, but not quite as good as the majestic McNeill. And yet McNamee starred for Hibs and Newcastle United, and Cushley for West Ham United and Dunfermline Athletic.
I will try and cobble something together about Henry (or Harry) and send it to The Celtic Star some time this week.
David Potter
ALEC McNAIR – CELTIC’S ICICLE by David Potter Arrives Today!
Incidentally for those of you who have already pre-ordered David Potter’s new book, Alec McNair – Celtic’s Icicle, copies are arriving at some point today from our printers and both myself and Matt Corr will be meeting David tomorrow, where he will sign the books, then we’ll post out to you straight away.
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