In 1888, Brother Walfrid, an Irish Priest and leader of a teaching institute called the Marist Order in Glasgow, saw the establishment of a football club as the means to raise money for his charity, The Poor Children's Dinner Table, which was founded to help poor Irish immigrants in Glasgow’s East End. It was also an opportunity to give Glasgow’s Irish population something that they could call their own. Brother Walfrid chose the name Celtic as an identifiable characteristic of both the Irish and Scottish roots of the club.

Celtic played their first match against their soon-to-be nemesis, Glasgow Rangers, in 1888. Celtic would crush their cross-town rivals 5-2. Rangers, being Glasgow’s traditionally supported Protestant team, took this derby, which is now called the “Old Firm”, to what is arguably the fiercest rivalry in the sporting world. Due to the deep religious histories of these clubs, the Old Firm matches are more than just a sporting event. To show you the nature of this rivalry, Rangers refused to sign anyone who was a Catholic for a long period of time, while Celtic would sign anyone who could play football regardless of their race, ethnicity, or religion. If you know anything about Irish history, you could only imagine the atmosphere at one of these matches.

Since Celtic’s founding in 1888, they have earned many accolades, the most prominent of these being the 1967 European Cup. Today, Celtic enjoys their dominance in the Scottish Premiere League, currently in place for another league title. Celtic is amongst the world’s biggest football clubs, proving in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA CUP, that they can not only compete, but they can also dominate against sides such as Juventus, Ajax, Porto, Liverpool, Stuttgart, Lyon, Boavista, Anderlecht, Blackburn Rovers and Rosenborg. Celtic supporters are very passionate about our team. If you asked any Celtic Supporter what it means to follow the Celtic they would tell you, “It is our identity, our history, a way of life.” 

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