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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Geordie Munro
13:30 on 6 March, 2014
Trad 88
“Brian McClair was loudly jeered coming on as a sub for Scotland vs Malta around 1992″
I think you’ve been on the sauce mate.
Scotland have only played Malta in Scotland the once.
I’m sure it wasn’t at hampden and even more sure choccy didn’t play.
Could be wrong though. ;)
——————————————————————————————————-
Think we have played Malta 5 times in total. Choccy played against them once in a friendly.
http://www.londonhearts.com/scotland/players/brianjohnmcclair.html
cheers sipsini i found it my friend.as you say this is a must(smile)read hehe
http://etims.net/?p=4672
HH
Subterannean
“Your (deliberately ;-) ) selective list of Scottish Cultural Caricatures could just as easily have come from Brigadoon, Whisky Galore, Brave, Gregory’s Girl, Sheena Easton, Rod Stewart, Sean Connery…etc :-D”
It was, of course, very selective, though the 4 characteristics (grudge-holding, aggression, heavy drinking, and a tight-fistedness) are there in most of the additional reference points you listed as, supposedly alternative (including Dick Byrne). Sean Connery & Rod are notoriously described as tight-fisted, There’s heavy drinking in Whisky Galore, native hostility and agression to outsiders in Local Hero, fighting in Brave (and there was overt aggression towards Bears). And when I listen to Sheena Easton, I am driven to drink.
The only characteristic that I would add to my four, sourced from your alternative referents, would be a tendency toward whimsy, regret and self-pity ( I am mostly thinking of Whisky Galore, Brigadoon, and Sheen Easton, again, here).
Scotland is still suffering culturally from the days of the music halls – both in music and in image.
In my travels, if I can make a generalisation, I have, (generally), found the opposite to be true of the Scottish character with regard to the “tight” tag.
The music hall entertainer Will Fyffe (1885-1947) may not have created the myth of Scots being extremely tight / mean, but he certainly helped to publicise it.
The Scot’s Lament
I’m Scotch and I’m married, two things I can’t help,
I’m married – but I have no wife-
For she bolted and left me – but that’s nothing new,
It happens sae often in life.
So I journeyed ta London, for that’s where she’d gone
With her lover to hide her disgrace.
And though London’s a big town I swore I’d not rest
Till I’d searched every street in the place.
And I tramped – how I tramped – weary mile upon mile
Till exhausted and ready ta drop.
I would not give in, so I climbed on a bus,
And took a front seat on the top.
We came to a halt in a brightly lit square
To my joy, there ma lassie I spied,
Looking weary and worn, but thank heaven – alone
From my heart -‘Maggie – Maggie’ I cried.
She gasped with delight as I rose from ma seat,
But a harrowing thought made me wince,
I couldna get off – for I’d just paid ma fare,
And I’ve never caught sight of her since!
Dunno
When I was in a bar in South Carolina in that notorious game in 1996 the only other scot in the bar was a hun who ingratiated himself to a humiliating degree when gazza nutmegged Hendry a beauty in said game. “He plays fur the rangers he plays fur the rangers he plays fur the rangers” . The English and Americans asked me if this cutnz w/you?”
“No really” says I “that cutnz Irish”
None were the wiser
Phew!
ger57
I am well aware of PG Wodehouse’s Nazi sympathies.
He is still a very funny writer. His political tendencies do not detract from his humour anymore than they do from Wagner’s music or Ezra Pound’s poetry. Not that I like all of those but they are undoubtedly great Artistic works by political neanderthals.
setting free the bears supports res. 12 & oscar knox
13:47 on 6 March, 2014
A very good post with a lot of good info that I had forgotten and I’m delighted to be reminded of
Gordon, you mean about lazy journalism?
Also, re the flats in the park…..wouldn’t a £700milion casino instead have brought a touch of gritty realism?
Woody Guthrie on BBC radio’s Children’s Hour 7th July 1944 while he was on leave in London from washing dishes on a Liberty Ship.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86e90MwKRAQ
Paul67,
that is a fantastic effort on the Fundraising especially by the Bhoys’n’Ghirls of Koln and Gent!
Ive been in Barneys (or Charlie’s) on several ocassions (although to be honest i spent more time at the Corkonian, round the corner) and they are good people.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
Paul67 – A fantastic result well done all involved.
Cowiebhoy – hope you are having a great holiday.
What a wonderful gesture to go out of your way on a holiday of a lifetime and look out for those less fortunate. I know you are not looking for praise but you and your wife deserve it! Belated birthday wishes to her.
HH
Geordie Munro
13:40 on
Your google is having a laugh with you mate ;)
http://www.scotlandfootballstats.co.uk/match-statistics/opponents/malta/
billy bhoy 05
14:09 on 6 March, 2014
Frank Ryan
If the working class in Essex and the rest of England didn’t continue to vote Tory the evil lot wouldn’t get in, and there wouldn’t be so much hardship. In Scotland very few vote Tory, but we still get the evil lot.
Therefore Independence is the only way we will be free of the evil lot. Not a lot of brains required to work that out. Simplistic I know but no less true because of it.
cadizzy,
That’s the one.
I though that a few dead bodies was enough for one book without bringing a dead football team into it too.
Geordie Munro
Re Churchill’s quote.
Did he say that when he was electioneering in Dundee?
Alisdair Mclean
I am aware that these are stereotypes and not based on real people. Mind you, you could say that about some Tartan Army, behaviour.
The fact is that, if you asked nationalities to come up with a list of Scottish characteristics, anonymously, that is what you would get.
If you mix with them as a Scots person, you are more likely to get told some flattering white lies.
EddieinKirk,
I think you are spot on.
But only one game of the 4 was played in Scotland.
And BM didn’t play in that particular game.
SFTB would you think that stereotyping of scots(shrek + Willie excepted lol) has its basis in English stereotyping of our nation? I do.
And i find the stereotyping not to dissimilar to that which is still put out about the irish and was highly prevelant during home rule debates for Ireland. I just feel one gets off topic(that of an independent Scotland) talking bout how the English elite think bout people as that in essence is what your saying.
HH
Sawney Bean ya bass
Geordie
Was on a school trip believe it or not:)
Your reply intrigued me though, the records I have checked appear to show McClair was not involved… however there is an article about it here:
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/mcclair-remains-loyal-despite-the-wrath-of-the-ibrox-boo-brigade-1.789135
========
McClair remains loyal despite the wrath of the Ibrox boo brigade JAMES TRAYNOR
Friday 16 October 1992
Custom byline text: JAMES TRAYNOR
BRIAN McClair is one of the first players that Alex Ferguson, Manchester United’s manager, turns to every game day. The former Celtic goal scorer is regarded by his fellow professionals as one of the best and most adaptable players in England…
Just like the SPFL, target achieved ahead of schedule.
Well done CQN & the Celtic Family.
Another kitchen for Mary’s Meals would receive my vote.
If preference is to give further aid to the same school, backpacks with SANDALS would be greatly received.
Paul, make sure there’s a BIG raffle on Friday night, tri-colour option of tickets please to triple the sales!
Setting free the bears
“Did he say that when he was electioneering in Dundee?”
No!
Kayaking in Camperdown. Same difference I spose.
‘Scotland’s coach Craig Brown called on the fans to respond positively. Grimacing as he recalled how Brian McClair was booed on to the field for an international at Ibrox several years ago, he said: ‘Surely the fans won’t be like that. If some people were glad McAllister missed the World Cup, that feeling wasn’t shared by people in the game.’
http://www.theguardian.com/football/1999/mar/25/newsstory.sport2
Trad88
School trip?
Aye aye. Adult helper I bet;-)
Traynor link isn’t opening for me. I’ll catch it later. Ta.
SFTB 1402,
You are more open minded than I previously thought. Many of my artistic heroes are/were naive supporters of moronic Marxism. It doesn’t detract from their art. Rough Trade was the music culture’s epicentre of smug, PC Marxists. But the music! Oh the music was wonderful. Still, I loved Mark E Smith for challenging the fascist PC mob who wished to stifle his creativity.
Hi everyone,
Yesterday evening I noticed some talk about whether some of the out of town guys would be staying overnight after CQteN.
I had originally planned to attend but due to work commitments now cannot.
I have though booked and paid for a non refundable twin room in the Glasgow Hilton which will go to waste unless I change the name and send someone the booking details
If anyone is interested please let me know, first to post wins, no cost involved at all, although a commitment to donate 20 quid to Mary’s Meals might just swing which post I see first.
Kolncelt.
An Tearman
Some of the stereotyping can be laid at the door of English propagandist like Samuel Johnson, though he was fed his best ammunition by a cringing Scot from near Auchinleck.
Scots entertainers, from Will Fyfe through to Andy Stewart and the Alexander Brothers were all happy to profit from mining your own national stereotype. We still do it to ourselves in the Royal Mile and the Edinburgh Tatoo.
Thankfully, the caricature is being undermined by people like The Proclaimers (though they are open to being subverted) and Billy Connolly i.e by Scots Nats and non-Scots Nats alike.
Geordie
haha.
A bit more digging suggests it may actually have been a match vs Portugal…
Definitely was at Ibrox though, and it definitely happened!
As I say, I’m calm about it now!
HH
Lest we forget.
Billy Bhoy 05
07:26 on 6 March, 2014
‘I feel physically sick when a young Scottish player pulls on an Irish shirt.’
John O’Neil@14.22
I am not responsible for the false perception you have of me or of left leaning people in general.
I do not think all right wingers want to eat your babies. Only the Libertarians and Thatcherites would go that far.
Paul
Any idea of the annual cost to run the kitchen after it is up & running.
I only ask as just found out there are running costs to keep similar idea going from a local family.
setting free the bears supports Res. 12 & Oscar Knox,
I agree – that’s if they’ve even heard of Scotland.
I was more attempting to point out where I think this stereotyping originated though.
Painful for me, but the biggest recognition that Scotland received in the last 25 years of my travelling was that pile of cleverly done rubbish that was “Braveheart”.
Up until then – mid 90s – kilts, bagpipes and the Loch Ness Monster was about the sum of what people knew about Scotland, say, for example, in Norway.
The UK was described as “England” by most Europeans and generally still is.
Generalisation though:
UK residents from England abroad when asked their nationality say, “English”, and nobody bats an eyelid, yet when a Scots person answers, “Scottish” nowadays, there is a chorus from the accompanying brits along the lines of, “fookin sweaties – paint ya face blue, why don’t you?”
Or a rolling of the eyes from some of their “cosmopolitan” Scottish companions.
(Talking oil related travelling workers here of course.)
Gordon_J ( and all others who rate Nir Biton as highly as I do )
Got this from Google:
“Groin injuries can be very complicated, and unfortunately, difficult to recover from. Normal recovery time can be anytime from 4 to 12 weeks, depending on severity and the specific muscles involved,” says Marcus. “The MRI performed on Cutler revealed what is being reported as a muscle tear of the groin, and the normal recovery time for this type of injury is 4 to 6 weeks.”
I think Cutler is an American Footballer ie player of American Football 0:-)
JJ
“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.”
A tear to the eye.
In the office.
That so many people want for the most basic of needs. On that basis I have donated to Wateraid previously…
Of course you aren’t r esponsible SFTB. It wasn’t you who wrote all those points about nasty DM reading reactionaries. That was the work of Setting Free The Hare.
I always imagined t that the Thatcherites would rather eat a sumo wrestler, or Dawn French, as they are greedy bassas.
What I’d like to know is which English basturt was it that wrote Flower of Scotland, surely the most execrable, kitsch depiction of Scotland ever inflicted on mankind?
Jungle Jim,
Thanks for that. To my non-medical mind a partially torn muscle seemed less severe than a fully torn one … where’s DBBIA when you need a medical expert?
I have no knowledge of groin injuries, which is probably fortunate!
Trad88
Doesn’t surprise me it was at ibrox. I don’t know for sure but I’d imagine more bears attended them games and more of us would go if it were at CP.
I must admit the only booing I’ve come across in that way was a Scotland v Denmark game where big morten and laudrup were booed equally:)
Alasdair
I agree with all except:-
“UK residents from England abroad when asked their nationality say, “English”, and nobody bats an eyelid, ”
I think, we Scots get just as exasperated by the equation of English= British, when uttered by English people, as they get with us insisting on our distinction.
Outside of Britain, other nationalities do not bother much about the distinction.