When is a birthday not a birthday? In the case of James Kelly, Celtic’s first ever captain, it’s when the wrong date is given for his birth…
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![James Kelly - Celtic's first captain]()
- James Kelly – Celtic’s first captain
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![James Kelly, Celtic FC]()
- James Kelly, Celtic FC. Photo The Celtic Wiki
For years, it was mistakenly believed that Kelly’s birthday was today, 15 October (in the year 1865). Although this year is correct, the given day is wrong. The incorrect date has been widely spread. Official Celtic articles as well as the Scottish FA state 15 October, and numerous books do the same.
In fact, Kelly was born on earlier in 1865 on 25 January. The entire story of his birth is riddled with confusions and errors. As identified by Scottish football researcher and writer Andy Mitchell, the origin of the 15 October mistake seems to go back to a 1980s book, ‘A Scottish Soccer Internationalists’ Who’s Who’.
In reality, a search of birth records from 1865 identifies James Kelly being born on 25 January, with the birth being registered in Cardross, near to Renton. The maiden name given for James’ mother (Graham) backs this up.
James Kelly went on to have a remarkable Celtic career. He scored in the club’s first game, was the first captain and later became chairman too. His last official Celtic act was joining the Bhoys on their first ever USA trip, taking place in 1931. He then died the following February 1932, with his death being registered by son Robert Kelly, who went on to be Celtic chairman.
This death proves that the 15 October birth date is wrong. When he died, James was 67 (appropriately enough for a Celtic legend), which only works if his birth date had been in January 1865, rather than October.
But the mystery doesn’t end there. Kelly’s original birth record also stated that his parents were called James and Ann. However, in 1879, an update was issued to the original record saying that they were actually David and Agnes.
The reason for this change seems to be literacy problems. Kelly’s father was a poor Irish immigrant and likely unable to read or write, and therefore spot the error. This explains why his father made a ‘mark’ on the birth record rather than sign his name.
It took 14 years for the mistake to come to light, and it was James who helped spot it. Work by Celtic researcher Andy Boyd shows that in 1879, Kelly was sent to register the birth of his younger sister, Mary.
As he was educated (primary education became compulsory in Scotland in 1872) he would presumably have noticed this mistake. The same registrar dealt with both the 1865 and 1879 births so then issued an amendment to the original document.
This issue is a good example of the difficulties involved in researching Celtic history, especially the early years. Often people will rely on one source and so date or other errors can quickly spread. The birth date is only a small mistake – but accuracy is always important to achieve.
Regardless of when Kelly was born, what is unarguable is his impact on Celtic. So important was he to the club’s development that it was often said ‘No Kelly, No Keltic’.
Even if it’s not James Kelly’s birthday today, we can still celebrate his part in the Celtic story. And put in early birthday wishes ahead of next January!
Our birthday tribute article on James Kelly was written and loaded onto The Celtic Star and was scheduled to be posted at 7am this morning. Instead that will now appear on the site at 7am on 25 January, the actual date that the first ever Celtic captain was born.
Matthew Marr
If you want to learn more about Celtic history, follow Hail Hail History on Twitter/X. You can also take part in a FREE Celtic history walking tour. Visit celticwalkingtours.wordpress.com for more information.
Matthew’s debut Celtic book titled ‘The Bould Bhoys – Glory to their name’ was published by Celtic Star Books last year and is available to order HERE. This brilliant book is also available on Amazon Kindle for just £3.49 and includes all photo sections that appear in the hardback edition.
As someone who is responsible for researching our family history i can testify how important it is to cross-check all dates etc with more than one source. The mistake rectified here, despite what the article states, is NOT a small one. It is extremely important. So well done on the thorough research. Excellent work.
ALSO NOTE: For anyone interested. Another problem encountered by family historians is the very poor Irish records keeping. But the research is all worth it in the end when you can complete a family tree, or even just one side of it. A very rewarding hobby.