CELTIC: THE EARLY YEARS
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New book delivers a fascinating and definitive
account of the birth of the club
CELTIC supporters sing about knowing our
history and there is certainly a knowledge
and awareness of the club's roots, of how
an idea from Marist Brother Walfrid to start
a football club to generate money to help
alleviate poverty in the East End of Glasgow
grew into one of the biggest and most
successful sporting institutions in the world.
Earlier this month, the club's foundation, which
came at a meeting on November 6,1887, was marked
with a celebratory Mass at St Mary's Church in the
Calton district of Glasgow. It was a fitting venue,
given that it was the parish hall that the meeting
was held to formally constitute the club.
The event was organised by Celtic, the Celtic Graves
Society and Celtic FC Foundation, and charity, which
was the motivating factor in Celtic's formation,
remained central to the night, with donations made
at an event back at Celtic Park after the Mass going to
Celtic FC Foundation's Christmas Appeal.
However, which we may be aware of the general
story of Celtic's birth, a new book by Brendan
Sweeney of the Celtic Graves Society delivers a
definitive account of Celtic Football Club in the first
five years of its existence, from 1887 to 1892.
To describe Celtic: The Early Years as a labour of
love is an understatement. The result of several
years' worth of exhaustive research, this book is a
treasure trove of information which any Celtic fan
will delight in uncovering.
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