Apologies for absence yesterday, the day got away from me. The blog would have said something like, “really pleased Celtic pushed back so vocally against the illiberal and ill-conceived Offensive Behaviour Act”, but with less brevity.
Shortly before Christmas we launched the campaign to fund the construction of a school kitchen in Malawi through Mary’s Meals to mark the 10th anniversary of Celtic Quick News. The project would cost £7000 and to get us there we scheduled a St Patrick’s Day dinner dance for next Friday, 14 March.
8 days out I am delighted to inform you the target money has been raised, Mary’s Meals already have £7000 in their bank, the project is officially funded and construction plans are underway.
That the money was raised ahead of the event was a surprise, although after 10 years of watching Celtic fans go about their business in this manner, it shouldn’t have been.
We received a remarkable donation from Patrick Foley’s Irish Bar & Restaurant in Gent, and Barney Vallely’s Irish Pub in Cologne, who between them raised €2600.
You don’t think of Gent and Cologne as being big ‘Celtic towns’. I’m sure they are not, but there enough Celtic fans in each city to form a proper community. Their work has been incredible and a real inspiration. Thank you to Patrick, Charlie and their patrons. Special thanks to Kolncelt, who orgainsed the entire effort, but has had to cancel his trip to Glasgow next week.
This gave us a problem, of course, The Show is going ahead next week, but the kitchen at the Kholoni Primary School is already paid for, what will be our focus next week. Here is a remind of what that £7000 is going to achieve:
Mary’s Meals feed 822,142 kids each day across some of the most impoverished areas of the world. The global average annual cost per child is £10.70, and is only £7 in Malawi, where the Kholoni Primary School is.
Kitchens are brick constructed and fully stocked with stoves, pots, serving utensils, mugs and cutlery. They also have a wall-mounted blackboard, so the room can be used as a classroom outside of meal times.
The charity started in 2002 when founder Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow met a mother dying of AIDS, and her child, whose only ambition was to have enough food to eat.
93% of money raised goes directly to the needy and, where possible, the 65,000 volunteers who keep the project running are drawn from parents and relatives of the children being fed.
The impact in Malawi, 17th poorest country by UN measures, is significant. Mary’s Meals provide a daily meal to 20% of the countries primary school aged children. The impact is more than just feeding the hungry, two years after a Mary’s Meals project in Malawi starts, school enrolment is up an average of 30%, leading to higher educational achievements, and a better chance in life.
I’m open to ideas on what to focus on next week but my instinct is to get back onto Mary’s Meals and ask where they next need a kitchen.
A couple of pairs of tickets have become available for Friday’s CQteN St Patrick’s Day at the Kerrydale Suite, Celtic Park. £50 per ticket, dinner, dancing, two acts, Irish dancers; it is shaping up to be quite an event. Email Tony if you want to be there, cqnbooks@gmail.com
We have a donations page for CQN Mary’s Meals’ projects, if you would like to help out, you can do so here.
Seville, The Celtic Movement, launches this month.
Order yours below:
[calameo code=0003901714cb03d5d5808 lang=en page=114 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
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P
She said muchos gracious.
HH
Billy bhoy I fear that the DD statement plus some of the stuff that Auldheid posted in the last couple of data ( basically that celtic didn’t like being questioned) tells me they are hopelessly out of touch from reality.
TET,
Congrats to you señora .
Remember, behind every great woman…….
Oops,
You = your
Weefra, sorry to read I’ll not be meeting you next Friday, I was fair looking forward to that. I wanted to ask you in person but here goes. See these lambs your popping out at the moment, what is their fate? I’m assuming your not running a petting farm and that those wee bad boys are headed for a plate somewhere?
Have you ever considered taking one to paradise when we next play Aberdeen? It might distract their support from the on the park cuffings they keep giving us and be our twelfth man kinda thing.
I have more questions but it depends on your answer to the first one.
Also, sorry to read that you lost one so early.
P.S. accept my early apology if you are running a petting farm:_)
NegAnon2 @23:13
The board have been to-date true to their word with Resolution 12.
Resolution 12 will be judged on what it achieves.
bankiebhoy1 at 22:07,
:O):O):O).
ttt
As I said earlier, she is over the moon, she was getting a bit down that everyone wanted their cut, agents = parasites, but a publisher, Pegasus, got in touch direct, that has given me a problem getting her back to planet earth >}
It will be a while yet obviously, they even asked if she had more stuff, and she does.
Thanks.
HH
Billy Bhoy, big Dessie is too busy jet setting the world honing his golf game so that the next time he plays Carnoustie he disnay make an arse of himself like he did the last time and the time before that, and………etc.
He’s no time for AGM’s when there’s a putt to be holed, he’s far too busy. FFS gie the man a break.
Nice to see you back posting Stephen Patrick.
How soon is now? :)
Welcome back shug. Great to see yourself and the Resolution 12 team are still on the case.
HH bruv
TET just reading back, fantastic for your good lady. Gran logro!
HH
Goodnight you ole Moonhowlers you.
Morrisey. Have they? I haven’t seen any action from our board. But we await the outcome. If the outcome is nothing happens then I guess we all have some serious questions to answer.
To use a famous quote. DD is a permanent embarrassment and an occasional disgrace to all of us.
ACGR
About 10 years ago, the bold moustacioed one was down to play at the Curragh GC, my mate had arranged for him to attend, and he was to play with us in a 4 ball, and he pulled out on the morning of the game, my mate really doesn’t like him any more >}
As it transpired, his stand in also had a mowser, and a better golfer as well, never having met the great mowsered one, I reckon his stand in is a better bloke to play sclaffbaw with any day of the week.
HH
Martim1980
Thanks, canny have her doing me in, I need tips, any tips are welcome >}
HH
TET, was his stand in Peneeeees, Peeenesss?
You know what guys. What makes some of you so respectful of DD? Because he has money? Is that all we respect?
Are we not better than that?
TET, see when you’re flamboyant panama hatted, cravat wearing husband of a rich and famous authoress, can I get yer pool tiles?
ACGR
NO, telt ye afore, the young fella would castrate me, you can buy the cave if you want tho >}
HH
TET
Had a wee look at tomorrow night’s games looks like a few “safe” bets- few form teams at home, so perhaps some cash building for the weekend!
Take it easy ;-)
Neganon2
Am skint, that DD hisnae a clue. Capitalist bassa, short arms, deep pocket guy.
ACGR
His stand in was a bloke called Padraig Harrington believe it or not, and Dana was on the bag.
The first bit is true btw, he hadn’t shaved for a day or so >}
HH
TET
You are indeed a lucky ghuy, good on yer good lady keeping you going in yer ole age. :)))) You know, of course, I’m joking. KTF
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
Delanys. The only folk with deep pockets is the celtic support I’m afraid.
TET, the first time I saw or heard of PH was when he played in the Scottish open at Carnoustie in 1996. He wore an Indiana Jones style bunnet and looked a bit different and stood out a lot. Nobody had heard of him at that time. Eleven years later he’s a superstar ripping the pash oota the wee Spaniard as they crossed the barry burn on the final two holes. Great sporting drama. Sadly we’ve no return to the open at Carnoustie in sight, it’s just too hard for them:_)
Weefra, you never saw my post at 23.45? Or are you being coy and evasive?
Weefra
Bought a few chooks today, POL, no cheap, they were 5.50 euros each, only got 3, also got a couple of young turkeys, they were a euro more, but they will be massively big.
They haven’t ventured out yet obviously, will keep them in for another day or so, then release them to the wild, and the wild is what it will be, it’s starting to get warm now, was mid 20s this afternoon.
Good luck with the lambs mi amigo.
HH
Delaneys Dunky
23:35 on
6 March, 2014
MacJay
Remember my non swearing father, calling Ormond an orange bandit for not picking Kenny. :)
___________________________________________________________
That was the feeling at the time.
I`m with SFTB,though,I think wee Ormond just did what he was told to.
NegAnon2
23:13 on
6 March, 2014
Just for you :)
https://soundcloud.com/harrybradycu-2/the-celtic-underground-12?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=twitter
Have a listen to John Paul Taylor. It is guys like him I have dealt with at Celtic. They were all at the management table at the Supporters Forum headed by Peter Lawwell .
Some of them are the Celtic men I have been dealing with not ogres who are “THE BOARD”. Every one of the folk I have been in contact with are employees of Celtic putting in a shift, working to club policy and good Tims either from birth or occupation (Like WGS became).
If I am defensive, it these guys I am defending not The BOARD and if you were able to meet them over time you would do the same. Make a distinction between their roles and their being.
I first met one about 4 years ago after I had written an article I sent in called Time to Talk Time To Trust. It was at a time of deep division in the support base.. He was very pleasant to me, asked after my daughter who had coached youngsters under the community coaching scheme but I detected a reticence to really open up.
What follows is my analysis not his or anyone else’s. It seemed to me Celtic had retreated behind a wall of criticism (it was just around honest mistakes time which would be under Mowbray and were most reluctant to expose themselves to what they would most likely have perceived as continual demoralising complaint, where no matter what was said it made no real difference.
On the second occasion it was more relaxed and I suggested he and his contemporaries should get out more to try and bridge the trust barrier, but the time just was not right.
However that movement has actually happened to a degree since through social media and it is no accident that a Celtic employee is more than willing to do a podcast with someone from cyberspace where much of the criticism has been generated over time(I’m NOT suggesting this applies to the Podcast interviewer but to Celtic cyberspace generally.)
I hope there are more podcasts with The Commercial Director, The Marketing Man, The PR Guy etc etc. In fact I will make that suggestion.
It is easy to criticise an impersonal BOARD much more difficult when dealing with actual guys who, within minutes of meeting, you realise care about Celtic as much as you do but are restricted by corporate policy to carrying out their roles.
.
So if I have sounded defensive it has not been of the anonymous Board (although I would offer the same consideration until events suggested otherwise ) but of fellow supporters who happen to work for Celtic, and I would not be a Tim if I did not.
However you have put your finger on it, I have over 4 years built up a trusting relationship with Celtic and the reason is simple – I trusted them.
Which leads me nicely to Res 12.
Here is the latest update:
===================
Resolution 12 Update following end of February meeting.
The Resolution 12 representatives had a meeting last week with the Company Secretary of Celtic FC and received the following which indicates progress is being made
“It was good to meet with the group last week to review the substantial progress made since our last meeting. The ongoing dialogue has been very useful.
I look forward to receiving the further information that we discussed in connection with the shareholders’ concerns regarding the process, so that we can consider matters further.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to discuss matters further in the meantime.
Best wishes,
Company Secretary.
===============
Note where the update came from. not the guys representing the shareholders but the Company Secretary. This is indicative of the beginning of a handing over following the two meetings. The further information mentioned has been supplied, 4 pages plus 3 in an Annex because the process that is being checked is not straightforward.
Now from here on I wait with the same baited breath as you do, because it is really now out of our hands. It will not be buried, it will not go away simply because it cannot.
There are shareholders to be answered to but in any case the Company Secretary is a very able guy and one of the good Tims at the management table at the Supporters Forum. I mentioned earlier.
I think if this is dealt with to shareholder’s satisfaction there is a lot more riding on it than just Res 12, it tells us all that things are really changing and my trust was not misplaced.
If it is, the sceptics will be right and I will be wrong, but I won’t be the loser, we all will, from the Board out.
ACGR
We asked him questions all day long, I reckon he was a bit pissed off, but wtf, anyways, he told us that he would go through at least a dozen lob wedges a year just by practicing so much, he would wipe the face off them.
That’s dedication for ye.
Oh, and I went round in 78, my best ever round at the Curragh, and we had a better ball than the stand in and his partner, my mate was playing off 12, I was off 9, with shots obviously >}
Yer man was level par with 3, 3 putts, slow, slow greens so they were.
HH
acgr@2345
Brilliant, loved that post. No, we are not running a Pet farm, in fact we don’t run a farm. We live in a farm cottage and the local farmers trust us to look after their stock, which includes, lambing and calving when the needs require. Fortunately, the farmers trust us, as they have done for the last 5 years, to tend their animals the way we tend our 2 dogs and a cat. Ruin them rotten. The beasts just love us. Oh, and to be quite clear, all livestock is for the food chain. To believe otherwise is duping yourself. Hard it is, but that’s how the human race survives. Great talking to you as always. Cot time now. Night night all.
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
Neganon
A wee story.
As you may know, for a decade or so I use to jump on an aeroplane to London on a regular basis to do some work in London mostly for a Glasgow born client of mine who was always far more interested in Rugby and Golf than he was in football.
The guy is a sort of Celtic supporter and would certainly cheer them on and all that sort of thing but he doesn’t go to matches, won’t know too many of the players and certainly doesn’t know who the Directors are and so on.
Last week, I contacted him as I wanted a favour in connection with CQ10 — a golf related favour.
In the course of chatting he tells me a story about a guy who I think I might have met once or maybe twice — someone who was the assistant Pro at my pal’s golf club. I don’t remember his name.
Anyway, this assistant Pro had managed to get a job somewhere out in the Carribean and so left the golf club in Englandshire and took his new wife out to a sunny wee island somewhere for a dream job playing golf in the sun.
It turns out, that the golf job concerned was at yon big hotel which is owned by the great Desmondo, and apparently the very same Desmondo turns up regularly to play Sclaffbaw as ACGR would call it.
Over the last couple of years, this assistant Pro chappie has played “the gowf” regularly with Dermot — and the only reason I know any of this is because my guy in London tells me so.
He tells me so, because the former assistant pro had come back home for a couple of weeks and he turned up at his old club where my guy had been captain– and so they get talking– and because my guy is of Italian descent and from Glasgow the former assistant pro asks a question.
” Do you support Celtic?” he asks
” Yes”
” Do you know who Dermot Desmond is?”
” No”
So the assistant pro chap explains that Dermot is the single biggest shareholder — my guy genuinely thought that Celtic were still owned by the wee Canadian guy with the glasses.
Anyway, the Pro golfer goes on to explain that Dermot loves his golf — absolutely loves it. Loves talking about playing it, or going over plans for extending the course or improving the club house — just loves everything about the Gowf and his business dealings in Gowf.
“But” he says ” He doesn’t love the golf nearly as much as he loves being involved in Celtic!
Apparently the Pro Golfer guy says it is the only thing that Dermot will break his round for.
He comes off the course early ONLY to watch Celtic and he constantly talks about the club explaining that he was never really a football man– always a golf, Rugby and horses man — but that he has come to love the involvement in Celtic and talks repeatedly about the Club, the atmosphere, the fans, the European nights, the history and so on and that according to this Golfer chap who has no connection to Celtic or Scotland or Ireland whatsoever — he has been left in no doubt that DD’s favourite thing is Celtic.
By the way, I should add that I was also told that this Golfer laddie had a hard time of it for a while in the Caribbean with things not going well with his marriage and other things and that DD was absolutely fantastic too him offering personal support on a regular basis and just being good friend to the guy in question.
Now, I don’t know DD– never met him and have never talked with him.
I believe that he did not get to be the monied man he is without being as sharpe as a tack and probably as sly as a fox. I suspect that he could peel an orange in someone else’s pocket in the dark using only his thumbs while standing half a mile away.
I suspect that he can be ruthless and mercenary in business and has enough money not to have a care in the world as far as finances go. He is also of an age whereby he does not need to build a reputation or a fortune.
However, this golfer lads tale — well that backs up another tale I was told by someone completely unrelated who happened to meet DD in totally non footballing circumstances during the Martin O’Neill era — and found that DD would rather talk about Celtic than the business in hand which was non Celtic related.
Maybe he is ” the absentee landlord” and a chancer of the first order or whatever — but apparently Paul67 has heard similar stories and I have been told that he phones the park several times a day and asks what is going on– even to the extent that he is sent the scouting videos and wants to know who is in the team etc.
The only point in relating any of that to you and everyone else is so that you make of all that what you will.
Auldheid many thanks for taking the time to respond. I feel embarrassed at asking questions of you and others whoop have taken the effort to engage with celtic etc.
You and the guys have nothing but my admiration.
That’s said it doesn’t mean I will always agree :).
Please keep up the good work. But please don’t expect me to be silent. Celtic need to be challenged on their stupidity
TET
Never had turkeys, don’t even know how their eggs taste. Would recommend arrachuna (sp) hens for superior eggs. They are a south american breed, wonderful birds. They have blue shells, low cholesterol and high protein. Nighty night. Early kick off tomorrow looking after all these fermers stock. :-))
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
NegAnon2
00:49 on
7 March, 2014
Of course, everything works to the good.
Irritating as it is, it is the grit that forms the pearl .
( I used to say that of a guy at work who made me strive harder to get things right)
Brogan thanks for the post.
But it leaves me thinking I have more questions than answers.
DD can do as he does and his love go golf is great and we are told he loves celtic. I am sure he does. But he is still making money from celtic.
I now belivenDD and others are simply massively out of touch with reality,
Agree Auldheid ::). Keep up the good fight,