Today was a very sad day for me, because the last ever copy of ‘The Celt’ (no 153) dropped through my letter box. It has been going strong for 35 years since 1983, and since then I have had four dogs who have all tried to chew it before I could reach it!
It was one of the first, possibly even the very first, of the modern type of fanzines, and it has been a great source of comfort and of knowledge to me.
‘The Celt’ was the brainchild of a man called George Sheridan, and he and a few others over the past 35 years have combined knowledge with humour to produce a very readable little magazine, free from bigotry, foul language and the plain silliness that often can defile some other productions.
Yet the love of the club shines through everyone of the 153 editions. People like Cyclops, Noah Billy (as in Ah no a Billy, am a Tim, get it?) and various others have entertained and invigorated.
Comments have been pungent, on occasion, but pertinent and bigotry is usually ridiculed. This edition for example had something about Pope playing for England – but it meant Ollie Pope who played for England at cricket, so no reason for Mr Durrant to get upset about anything! Is Graham Roberts a Freemason? Don’t know, he won’t shake hands! That sort of thing. And there was once a Catholics v Protestants game of old Celts. Jimmy McGrory, Patsy Gallacher and Jimmy McMenemy on one side taking on John Thomson, Henrik Larsson and Kenny Dalglish on the other with Managers Wille Maley and Jock Stein chewing the fat with the fourth official on the touchline. (But if the game were on a Friday – it would have to be fish!)
There was a serious side as well. Today for example has Obituaries of Jim Brogan and Davie McParland, but there is also a glossary fo foreign terms, for example “bete noire” is a man called Bobby Davidson, the referee who had a serious contretemps with Mr Stein in 1970, but the same Mr Stein did little to stop the Hubris which lost the European Cup of that year. Great stuff!
It was a great magazine and full marks to George Sheridan. But it is NOT going away for ever. It will be on theceltmag.tumbir.com and we wish it every success it its new resurrection to eternal life. If you know their history that will be the place to be.
David Potter
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