The Celtic family yesterday celebrated our club’s 135th Birthday and for many supporters that meant sharing messages on social media. One quote about the fundamental principle of the formation of Celtic Football Club in the East End of Glasgow on 6 November 1887 is often used as a reference and with the modern forms of media at our disposal it’s often quoted and re-quoted, and has become widely accepted, even if it is somewhat inaccurate.
Here are just some of the examples from yesterday…
From desperation came celebration. “A football club will be formed for the maintenance of dinner tables for the children and the unemployed.” “Glasgow Celtic is the name.”
Happy Birthday Celtic FC, 135 years old today. Unbroken, unbowed 🍀 pic.twitter.com/9qeTxx4RCQ
— Bishopton Emerald CSC (@BishoptonCSC) November 6, 2022
Happy birthday @CelticFC – A Club like no other🙏🏻🍀 pic.twitter.com/Y2fBqgdD6N
— Father Antony CP (@BrotherAntony) November 6, 2022
The issue is this quote and this graphic which is often shared at this time of year, it should be stated in each and every instance, with pride in our football club and the very best of intentions.
So you may ask what exactly is the problem? Let’s try to explain. First, let us look at another post on Twitter yesterday, this time from Father Ryan Black, who is more accurate in what he writes…
It was wonderful to concelebrate Mass at St Mary’s in the Calton to mark the 135th anniversary of @CelticFC’s establishment.
“[A football club will be formed] for the maintenance of the dinner tables of our needy children.” pic.twitter.com/KDnZQrMGES— Fr Ryan Black (@FrRyanBlack) November 6, 2022
@JamieBhoy2009 on Twitter explained the issue fully and hopefully this will be taken on board and become widely known in the interests of historical accuracy.
“Love that folk are putting it out there today and every day but – There was no add on which I seemed to have been saying since the day I arrived on twitter, the word unemployed was never in the mission statement, which was more than likely handed out by Brother Walfrid himself,” Jamie stated, then produced the relevant document to prove his point…
Love that folk are putting it out there today and every day but –
There was no add on which I seemed to have been saying since the day I arrived on twitter, the word unemployed was never in the mission statement, which was more than likely handed out by Brother Walfrid himself. https://t.co/yro4p2as2q pic.twitter.com/kgvuCtedf5
— jamief (@jamiebhoy2009) November 6, 2022
Jamie goes on to explain that the story behind this 21st century re-writing of the Celtic raison d’etre explaining that the add-on came from a charity event brochure that was produced, again with the best of intentions, but unfortunately was not properly researched.
Steve Fitzpatrick adds some more detail. “I’m trying to find out when the quote evolved. So far, I’ve got back to a 2004 piece by Alex Gordon (Page 12)…
I’ve still got the mag ✅
He’s great when writing about The Lisbon Lions but he should never have tackled our earliest history without research. Sadly I think it was thrust upon him to do an article for “The Celtic Charity Fund” and he just battered in. Pity it’s a good article.
— jamief (@jamiebhoy2009) November 6, 2022
“A don’t need tae I’ve seen it oan here for the last 13 years, used tae annoy me but no noo. It takes away all the good work that others are trying to do by telling our definitive history,” Jamie added.
Jamie then referred a supporter to Brendan Sweeney’s authoritative book, Celtic – The Early Years after it was pointed out that the parents were probably unemployed, a point Jamie fully accepted but repeated that it was NOT part of the early literature that become the premise for the formation of Celtic Football Club.
A don’t need tae I’ve seen it oan here for the last 13 years, used tae annoy me but no noo. It takes away all the good work that others are trying to do by telling our definitive history.
— jamief (@jamiebhoy2009) November 6, 2022
Maybe we should get that graphic re-designed with the correct wording for next year and everyone can share that?
