Tir Eoghain No.1 CSC, Dungannon…
Founded in 1988 after five local lads returned from the Centenary Cup Final, to give other like-minded fans the opportunity to travel more regularly. Their members come from Armagh and Tyrone.
The first meeting was arranged on July 1988 and was well attended. Within a period of 14 months, membership had swelled to over 80 people. Their first official club trip was a defeat against Aberdeen.
They started off in the INF, but for over 20 years now, they have been based in Hagans Bar, Irish Street, Dungannon. In the 1990s, Tir Eoghain No.1 CSC, like Celtic, had many ups and downs.
The lowest of these was in the summer of 1996, when, returning from a night out, one of their members was brutally murdered in a sectarian attack only a few hundred yards from his home. Mysteriously, this case has not been solved to this day, and no one has been brought to justice for this heinous crime.
This event and the results being offered by Celtic on the pitch meant that the CSC experienced a serious decline in interest and commitment, and for a period of time only a hardcore travelled. The club struggled on and began to arrange more and more one-day excursions to see Celtic.
It was at one of these games that they had a chance meeting with Joe McGratten. When Joe and some other Belfast lads set up Eire Go Brach CSC, it seemed a natural progression for them to partner up and travel with a great bunch of like-minded Celtic supporters. This relationship still exists today in the guise of Aiden Digney.
One of my greatest adventures was in Seville. The CSC was well represented at this wonderful time in Celtic’s history. They have also travelled extensively over Europe, with members being in Amsterdam, Turin, Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester, and Lisbon, to name but a few.
2008 saw the 20th anniversary of the club with a gala charity dinner dance being held. As part of this milestone in their history, it was decided to re-design the club’s logo to better represent who and what the CSC stood for. The logo encompasses the Centenary Celtic Cross, The Red Hand of Tir Eoghain, O’Neill’s Castle, the Celtic Four-Leaf Clover, and the European Cup.
‘Gaelach agus Broduil’ stands for Irish and proud.
In season 2012, a series of events took place culminating in their 25th anniversary dance, which happened to be on 25 May, 2013. This event was attended by John Fallon and they had a replica of the European Cup, which was lent to them by their friends in Lurgan No.1 CSC. They celebrated their 35th anniversary in 2023. Every five years, the CSC holds a charity dinner dance. They have over 100 members and a committee of eight men who work throughout the season to organise for the rest of the members.
They travel with Éire go Bragh CSC Belfast and Jim Greenan Monaghan CSC.
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.
More from Football Without Fans tomorrow on The Celtic Star, the Celtic supporters website. Will it be your CSC that’s featured?
Just before Christmas, David McIntyre from Celtic Bars was interviewed by Celtic TV about his Football Without Fans book. Here’s the video on Celtic TV’s You Tube channel . You can order a copy in print or kindle from Amazon regardless of where you are in the world. Order your copy HERE
