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125 years of enormous privilege

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Adam Smith, regarded by many as the father of modern economics, once observed that crop failures caused dearth but that it took “the violence of well-intentioned governments” to convert “dearth into famine.”  Throughout the 19th century, governments, social-reformers and subsistence –dwellers learned the enormous human cost that resulted when the poor were left to starve.

Ireland suffered regular famine for more than a century before when what became known as THE Irish Famine first struck the country in 1845.  The potato blight travelled across Europe before arriving in Britain and then Ireland, but in most places the links between those who were suffering and those who were in a position to alleviate that suffering were sufficiently established to ensure dearth did not become cataclysmic famine.  Not so in Ireland.

The famine lasted until the 1850s, a million starved to death.  Nothing would ever be the same again.  The blight returned in 1879 but by then the Celtic population of Ireland, who suffered disproportionately in earlier famines, were politically better represented and had structures in place to ensure those in need were assisted.  As a result, the 1879 blight caused great hunger but cost fewer lives.

Brother Walfrid lived through the famine of the 1840s.  The community who 125 years ago today decided to form a football and athletic club in order to feed the starving either lived through the same hardship, or were the progeny of those who did.  All were informed by the actions across the water in 1879. Squalor, disease and starvation afflicted Glasgow, as it did many of the newly industrialised cities of the world.  Walfrid and his colleagues were not going to stand idly by and hope for the best.

Celtic Football Club was not the only institution established in those years to cater for the poor.  Across Britain others campaigned for clean water, sanitation, better working conditions and occasionally health care, but Celtic were quite unlike any others.

Football had caught the public imagination and benefited from the increased availability of leisure time in the early 20th century.  Brother Walfrid could just as easily established a musical troupe to raise funds.  If so, there would be no Celtic.  Those who met in St Mary’s hall had seen how successful other football clubs were becoming and decided to copy their ways.  They watched how successful Hibernian, from Leith, had become and decided Glasgow’s east end would be equally fertile ground.

Hundreds of other football clubs were formed in the 19th century but no others had the unique story of Celtic.  If you listen to modern brand consultants you will hear them talk about establishing a legend for your brand.  Adorn it with positive, aspirational sentiment that people want to be a part of.  Whenever I hear this kind of talk, or watch a business try to position itself along these lines, I think of how getting the foundations right on day one set our club out on this enormous journey.

No one was trying to establish a brand in 1887, in fact, those in charge of the club seemed immune to the concept for over a century, but all of the positive sentiment which is persistently associated with Celtic can be traced back to that meeting at St Mary’s, even down to what might have seemed like small detail.  Unlike Hibernian, Celtic would not be a club for members of a church or parish, this would be a club who wanted all members of society to work with, support and play for.  From conception, the message of social responsibility was evangelised.

The world is enormously different today than it was back then, and our community reflects those changes, but anyone who counts himself a Celtic fan is a product of the club’s history.  You are here for a reason.

Tomorrow night’s opponents proclaim they are ‘more than just a football club’.  In their case that is correct, but this is a truism for most football fans.  Few will say, ‘Although I turn up every week, there’s nothing special about this place’. Those who understand how much more Celtic are than just a club, know that it is no longer the responsibility of Brother Walfrid, now it is yours and mine.  We have the enormous responsibility to take care of that 125-year heritage and, if possible, enhance it.  That’s the challenge every time you get your ticket out your pocket, you scribble on a blog, or you’re asked to assist someone in need.

What an enormous privilege.

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  3. greenjedi on

    Mort

     

    11:52 on

     

    6 November, 2012

     

    A fanzone in Glasgow. What an excellent idea. Was at the one in Barcelona a few years ago and it was great craic all day long. Will there be beer at this one?

     

     

    Mort

     

    ………..

     

     

    The courtyard is surrounded by pubs

  5. BIG-CUP-WINNERS on

    Paul

     

     

    “anyone who counts himself a Celtic fan is a product of the club’s history.  You are here for a reason.”

     

    Like that statement, a wonderful point to be pondered over and remembered.

  7. Paul67 on

    johann Murdoch, thank you.

     

     

    southside, yes, here we go…..

     

     

    Gene’s a Bhoys name, we sure can.

     

     

    hendrix67, don’t know.

     

     

    thetimrieper, email me, celticquicknews@gmail.com.

     

     

    starry plough, thanks.

     

     

    bournesouprecipe, cheers.

     

     

    googybhoy, we are a grand old team….

  9. derryglas on

    Cracking piece Paul.

     

     

    Happy birthday to my beloved Celtic. You have brought joy and pain to me over the years, but I still love you dearly. DG

  12. sannabhoy on

    Paul67 ,

     

     

    you getting excited ?

     

     

    Don’t think i’ve seen as many replies from you on page 1 , EVER .

     

     

    Well done , excellent article.

     

     

    Happy Birthday to my club .

     

     

    Hail Hail

     

     

    Sanna

  13. I'm Neil Lennon (tamrabam) on

    southside

     

    the fact is that MON and GS spent the same

     

     

    MON spent it on 15 players

     

    GS chose to spend it on 39 players

     

    That is a fact M8.

     

     

    Rangers though spent twice as much as MON again a fact

     

    and if thats the only crit that you have of my piece then we probably agree on most then

     

     

    but today my friend in Celtic i guess its all about 125 years unbroken

  14. Parkheadcumsalford on

    Afternoon one and all. Great article, Paul67; maybe your best yet. Neil Lennon should pin it up in the changing room and every new signing should be handed a copy, to let them know what being a part of the Celtic family means.

  15. CultsBhoy loves being 1st forever & ever on

    Levein/SFA scenario..

     

     

    Cat and Mouse being played here re continuation of salary. Does that mean Craig would need to serve notice before taking up

     

    New post? Effectively making him

     

    Unemployable ? ( he is already , I hear you shout:-) )

     

    Strachan probably the best of all options. Not looking forward to his style of football much. Neither will any Scottish Middlesburgh supporters be either, I suspect.

     

    I’d like a Malky MacKay / Craig Brown combo. Mentoring in a real prospect with a proven old head. Never happen but it would be something to consider?

  16. Folly Folly on

    Love it, Paul.

     

     

    Another vintage posting for us to cut out and keep …

     

     

    Thanks.

     

     

    FF

  20. 67Heaven ... I am Neil Lennon..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors on

    ernie lynch

     

     

    11:15 on

     

    6 November, 2012

     

     

    I agree….it is a personal decision …….. Will leave it at that, since I don’t think it’s a subject for our CQN forum ……..but, you are correct….politic agendae are pathetic, as are bigoted media agendae….

  21. THE EXILED TIM on

    Afternoon bhoys, from a very wet, but thankfully hun free mountain..

     

     

    Great artical Paul, fair brightened up a dull day.

     

    ………………………………………………………………

     

     

    I noticed over on TSFM everybody is fawning all over Cosgrove for his artical.

     

     

    While I applaud him for sticking his head above the parrapit, he has said nothing that we don’t already know.

     

     

    Him and Jim Spence are a lonley voice in scotland re the MSM, and fair play to them for that, but, IMO, it’s too little too late.

     

     

    All they are doing is not towing the party line, still no digging, still no asking awkward questions, maybe others will take a lead from them, but I would doubt it.

  24. southside on

    i’m neil lennon (tamrabam)

     

    I love WGS just as much as MON.

     

    Just making the point that money usually buys success. Just check out EPL and CL winners recently.

     

    I agree with everybody on here- even those who are wrong!

  29. Sheik Yerbouti on

    kitalba

     

    ————————-

     

     

     

    fantastic posts over the weekend m8

     

    regarding the famine and irish volunteers

     

    in the first world war

     

    an education indeed sir

  33. MurdochauldandHay on

    For 51 years I can say with immense pride that it has been an absolute honour & priviledge to be a supporter of and associated with the Celtic fc may I wish Celtic a Happy Birthday and say thanks for 125 years of sporting integrity and illustrious history along with its charitable ethos which enshrines all that is good about Celtic fc and its supporters and makes us different from any other club

  36. Headtheball on

    I see that most of the officials tomorrow night are NEDS and there’s also one HUN. Oh dear! :-)

  40. CultsBhoy loves being 1st forever & ever on

    Excellent article Paul, took me back to my student days studying Irish history under the tuteledge of Tom Devine at Strathclyde Uni..

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