Downtown Toronto CSC…
McVeigh’s Irish Bar was the first Irish bar in Toronto and was opened in 1962 by Jimmy McVeigh. Their association with Celtic stretches back to the late 1960s, when Jimmy would invite the local Celtic support to the second floor of the building, where they would gather on match days to socialise among one another and sing Celtic songs while the Bhoys were playing 3,000 miles away.
This was, of course, long before games were beamed live on TV every week, but this did not stop the large crowds that would be in attendance every week.
Although the bar was recently sold to new owners, Jimmy McVeigh, now in his nineties, is still a regular attendee at the club, and his contribution to the Irish community and Celtic support in Toronto for well over 50 years can never be understated.
Unfortunately, there is very little information on the original club’s history during this period, and it is not known when it disbanded. The history of the current club, however, in its current guise, can be traced back to its formation in 1995. The club was reformed again by Jimmy after some encouragement from Bernie Fitzpatrick, Davie Higgins, and Sean Boyce, who was an employee of the bar and were both very influential figures in the formative years of the club. The club has remained at McVeigh’s Bar, which has been a major part of the lives of many Celtic supporters over a period of time.
Over the years, the club has been fortunate to have some well-known faces join them. Charlie and the Bhoys popped in for a beer alongside Bertie Auld in 2009 when Celtic were playing Manchester United in Toronto.
Bertie was the main attraction and was only too happy to entertain the fans lucky enough to be drinking in McVeigh’s that night with his stories and banter.
Charlie and the Bhoys also performed at the club after the 2011 Scottish Cup victory. Scots actor Tony Curran was a regular attendee at the club during the 2015 season when he was filming in Toronto. A very likeable guy who enjoyed a pint while watching the Hoops.
Perhaps the biggest name of them all to have come to the club was Billy Connolly. The Big Yin performed one of his earliest, possibly first, gigs in North America in McVeigh’s after Jimmy McVeigh, who was also an entertainment promoter, brought him over.
The movie Boondog Saints, starring Billy Connolly and Willem Dafoe, was filmed in McVeigh’s pub. On one of the Big Yin’s visits, he did the club the courtesy of signing a framed Celtic shirt that hangs behind the bar.
Unfortunately, the morning cleaning lady thought the autograph was the work of a drunken punter and proceeded to wipe it clean off!
Downtown Toronto CSC. pic.twitter.com/1DWwVMyciH
— Celticbars (@celticbars) February 3, 2023
An extract from Football Without Fans – The History of Celtic Supporters Clubs by David McIntyre ( Celtic Bars). Football Without Fans – The History of Celtic Supporters Clubs is out now and available in print and kindle versions HERE. Watch the video in the Celtic World tweet below for some amazing facts on the Celtic support around the world.
𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐬 – Intro with video – Celtic’s worldwide fanbase!
🍀Must-have Xmas stocking filler! More chat on YT🍀
🍀A Celtic World – It really is! Come and join us🍀#celticfc #celticsupporters @celticbars pic.twitter.com/29GWKeyYwr— A Celtic World (@ACelticWorld) November 17, 2023
Be sure to keep an eye out for the Bobby Murdoch Rutherglen Vogue CSC in this new book by @celticbars. If you know your history … https://t.co/eGnSopq48d
— Vogue CSC (@BMRVCSC) November 20, 2023
