The 1840s was a pivotal decade in Irish and Scottish history. In 1841, there were an estimated 126,000 Irish-born residents in Scotland. With the onset of the famine in the middle of the decade, these numbers swelled. In 1847 alone, more than 50,000 Irish migrants landed in Glasgow.1 Among those to arrive in Glasgow due to the famine were the family of Sir Thomas Lipton, who rose from humble Glasgow beginnings to build a global tea empire. Lipton sponsored early football tournaments in Italy and the River Plate, which were key to promoting the game locally. In the last decades of the 19th century it’s worth noting that Glasgow was one of the – if not the – leading footballing city in the world.
The first Irish-founded club in Scotland was probably Airdrie Football Club, not to be confused with Airdrieonians, formed by Lanarkshire workers. Known as ‘The Hammer Drivers’, indicating the industrial background of its members, the club played against Scotland’s pioneer club Queen’s Park FC in 1870 and in later years entered the Scottish Cup, but by 1885 it had folded.
Across Scotland where Irish immigrants settled, the local Catholic Church and its societies gained new members. In the Cowgate district of Edinburgh on 6 August 1875, the Catholic Young Men’s Society agreed to form a football club, Hibernian FC. Its name was taken from the Latin name for Ireland, Hibernia, meaning ‘Land of Winter’.
Two of the leading lights behind the foundation of Hibernian – nicknamed ‘Hibs’ – were Canon Edward Joseph Hannan from Ballingarry, Limerick, and Michael Whelehan from Roscommon.
Hibs’ founders saw a football club as a way to help the men of the local community to stay active and provide an escape from the societal problems of the tightly-packed tenements in which they lived. It was not uncommon for churches to found sporting associations around this time as focusses of the local community; in England, Everton, Manchester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers, among others, can all trace their roots to churches.
Hibs was formed a year after Heart of Midlothian FC, with both sides initially playing at an area of parkland called The Meadows. The two sides first played each other on The Meadows on Christmas Day 1875, which resulted in a 1-0 win for Hearts. The Edinburgh Derby is the oldest top-flight cross city rivalry in world football.
Hibernian’s inspiration spread across Scotland’s Irish community. In 1879, Dundee Harp emerged, playing – and beating – Hibs 1-0 at Magdalen Green in the September of that year. Dundee Harp existed until 1894. In its short history, it left its mark with a 35-0 Scottish Cup win in 1885 against Aberdeen Rovers. Incredibly, the very same day, Arbroath had smashed Bon Accord by 36-0. There is a rumour that the referee for the Harps game had lost tally and had originally thought he had counted 37. Either way, the result was logged as 35-0 with the Scottish FA, and Arbroath still boasts Scotland’s biggest winning margin.
The Irish in Dundee
‘Harp’ was a popular name for Irish clubs at home and abroad. The Irish harp (cláirseach in Irish) has appeared on regalia for centuries, including the crest of Hibernian FC since its foundation. The Republic of Ireland is the only country in the world to have a musical instrument as its emblem. Across Dundee, Lochee Harp was founded in 1904 and now plays in Scotland’s Junior leagues. In 1909, another Tayside club was established – Dundee Hibernian – founded by members of the city’s Irish business community.
Again, Hibernian FC of Edinburgh was the first opponent at the ground now known as Tannadice Park, a one-all draw played in front of 7,000 spectators. The Dundee Hibs started out in green and white but underwent something of a rebrand during 1923/23 season. To appear to a wider audience the club adopted white shirts and black shorts. After some discussions involving neighbourhood rivals Dundee FC, the Tannadice club settled on the name Dundee United.
Within a couple of years, the rebranded club was in the top flight of Scottish football for the first time. Dundee United switched to its now-familiar tangerine colour in 1969, inspired by Dallas Tornado, following a successful club tour of the US.2
The Association Rules Game in Ireland
Just for context, the Irish-founded Hibernians of Edinburgh and Dundee were up and running when soccer was yet to become established within Ireland itself. The man credited with introducing Association rules football to Ireland – John McCredy McAlery – is said to have been introduced to the sport while on honeymoon in Edinburgh in 1878. He then arranged an exhibition match in his native Belfast between Glaswegian pioneer clubs Queen’s Park and Caledonians for 24 October 1878.
In September 1879, McAlery founded the Cliftonville Association Football Club – Ireland’s first and oldest football club. He was also instrumental in founding the Irish Football Association (IFA) in 1880, founded league and cup competitions, and created and played in the first Irish national side.
The Foundation of Celtic FC
The same societal issues that drove the foundation of Hibernian FC in Edinburgh led to the foundation of Celtic Football Club at St. Mary’s Church Hall in Glasgow’s Calton district in late 1887. Irish cleric Brother Walfrid – born Andrew Kerins in County Sligo – had established a mission to feed the impoverish communities within Glasgow’s East End. Brother Walfrid formed the club “for the maintenance of dinner tables for the children and the unemployed”.3
The new club played its first matches in May 1888 wearing white shirts, including a 5-2 win over now ‘Old Firm’ rival, Rangers FC. Green stripes were added the following year, switching to hoops in 1903. Within four years of its foundation, Celtic had won its first piece of silverware, defeating serial Scottish Cup winners Queen’s Park at Ibrox to win the knockout tournament. A first league title followed a year later.
Celtic FC – 52 times Scottish champions – were the first British side to win the European Cup in 1967. All the ‘Lisbon Lions’ wearing the green and white that day were born within 30 miles of Celtic Park.
1 https://www.rte.ie/history/post-famine/2020/1106/1176413-the-irish-invasion-how-the-irish-famine-changed-scotland/ (retrieved 27/01/23)
2 https://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/news/6135/50-YEARS-OF-TANGERINE.html (retrieved 27/01/23)
3 https://www.celticfc.com/history/history-timeline/1880-to-1889/ (retrieved 28/01/23)