Buff has become very articulate.
To have the vision and execution to pull off that ball for jota was very impressive from o Reilly.
Celtic seemed to have seriously up their game when it comes to transfers which is good to see.
Thereâs an awful lot of lads like buff and the Kerry footballers have suddenly become lifelong Celtic supporters for some reason 
1 Like
Buff has been following Celtic for a long time.
Yes, since they got trendy a few years back.
When I was a season ticketer, there was far less rastooling around them. They were just a brilliant soccer team to follow. Theyâre now to go to for yahoo boys and footix**
**Present company excepted of course
I donât ever remember buff being prominent and him not banging on about Celtic.
Celtic havenât been trendy in Ireland since o neill.
1 Like
I remember Celtic suppprter clubs in loads of small towns in Ireland about 20 years ago. All folded reasonably quickly.
1 Like
Thatâs because so many of Celticâs games were on free to air tv.
Around 03 - to 07 or so Celtic were huge around Ireland.
I doubt itâll ever come back.
1 Like
Agreed, Celtic miles down in popularity in Ireland. Premier league has taken over.
Should be a lesson to the gaa about putting games behind paywalls.
Clifford is a genuine Celtic fan.
Himself and his brother are big racing fans too.
Be has lifted that from a WhatsApp group or something
2 Likes
âYou need that hate. The thought of getting beat would turn your stomachâ â Celtic fans look ahead to first Old Firm derby of season
âIt sounds bad, but you need that hate tooâ â Bhoys fans admit they are relieved that Rangers are back in the top flight
Celtic fans celebrate in the stands after the 9-0 Scottish Premiership win over Dundee United at Tannadice last week. Photo: PA Wire
SeĂĄn OâConnor
September 02 2022 07:26 PM
Celtic Park hosts the 431st Old Firm clash on Saturday, and the first of the new season. Itâs a derby like no other, pitting family, friends, and communities against each other â the highlight of the Scottish Premiership calendar.
The Old Firm is worth approximately ÂŁ120 million (âŹ138m) to Scotlandâs economy, but to Celtic and Rangers supporters, itâs worth much more. Since 1888, Rangers have enjoyed the bragging rights 168 times, eight more than their Glasgow rivals.
It is the hostility between the sides, and its supporters, that sets the Old Firm apart from the likes of the Manchester derby, or El ClĂĄsico.
The derby reflects the religious, political, and cultural views that exist between the traditional Catholic and Protestant clubs, and is deeply ingrained in not just football culture, but Scottish culture also.
Scotlandâs Parliament even passed legislation in 2012 in the hope of reducing the level violence at games, targeting the Old Firm in particular. Although there is no denying that the acrimony and passion only adds to the spectacle.
Ireland has been intrinsically linked to the Hoops from its very inception. Sligo native Brother Walfrid created the club in 1887 to reduce poverty in Glasgowâs east end, which had a considerable Irish immigrant population at the time.
Celtic played their first official match against Rangers the following year (a 5-2 win) and the club has remained closely linked to Ireland since, with 33 supportersâ clubs across the country.
âItâs a club thatâs open to everyone,â says Ian OâSullivan of the Cork No.1 Celtic supportersâ club, who have 29 members attending Saturdayâs Old Firm.
âIt doesnât matter if a Celtic player is Irish, Catholic or Protestant, black or white, once they put on that jersey weâll love them. The supportersâ club is everything to me. It was founded in 1988 and has gone from strength to strength.
âI canât wait for the Old Firm, Iâve been to eight so far. The colour and atmosphere, thereâs nothing that comes close to it. The trouble can be a bit over the top sometimes, but it only adds to the drama.â
Glasgow-born Kevin Mclhinney is a member of the Wolfe Tone supporters club in Buncrana, and is heading to the derby with seven friends. He remembers his first Old Firm 31 years ago.
âMy first was on St Patrickâs Day in 1991, we beat Rangers 2-0 in the Scottish Cup quarter-final. I went with my father and uncle, and we stayed over to see us beat Rangers 3-0 in the league the following week.
âThe Old Firm gives you something to look forward to. When Rangers were out of the league, we were just turning up and winning games. Itâs just like the Manchester or Merseyside derbies, you need that rivalry.
âIt sounds bad, but you need that hate too. The thought of getting beat would make your stomach turn. Iâve got family members who are Rangers fans, but on that day we donât even talk to each other.â
Joe Coyle, another lifelong Celtic supporter, is also pleased to have Rangers back, as Giovanni van Bronckhorstâs side spent four seasons out of the top flight after being liquidated in 2012.
âMy first Old Firm was the 1999 Scottish Cup final,ââ says Coyle, who was born in Glasgow and has followed the Bhoys across Europe.
âWe lost 1-0, but the one thing I remember was the noise, it was incredible. I remember watching Henrik Larsson stick his tongue out in celebration when we beat them in 2000.
"Another great night was our 5-1 win in 2016, it was Brendan Rodgersâ first Glasgow derby. We humiliated Rangers and sang Rod Stewart songs all night, it was great fun.
âItâs great winning trophies, but you like to beat Rangers too. Itâs almost like a trophy in itself. Itâs a better league with Rangers in it. Itâs more enjoyable when youâre beating them.â
Many Irish players have passed through Celtic Park throughout the years. Ireland legend Packie Bonner made 642 appearances in a 20-year spell at the club, while Mick McCarthy, the late Liam Miller, and Aiden McGeady all enjoyed successful stints.
Senior Irish internationals are a rarity in the first team nowadays though. James McCarthy has been consigned to a bit-part role under Ange Postecoglou, while Shane Duffy endured a difficult loan stint at the club in the season before last.
While Irish youngsters like Luca Connell, Jonathan Afolabi and Lee OâConnor have departed Parkhead recently, Celtic B midfielder Rocco Vata, son of former Bhoy Rudi, signed his first professional deal last year.
Former Ireland U-21 defender Liam Scales is on loan at Aberdeen, while U-19 international Johnny Kenny has been loaned to Queenâs Park, with both hoping to impress their parent club this season.
âUnless they sign an Irish senior player, itâs very hard for anyone to get into the team at the moment,â OâSullivan says. âAnge has the run of the place now and I donât think McCarthy was his signing. I donât expect him to be looking at the Irish market.â
âIâd love them to sign an Irish player,â Coyle adds.
âItâs the globalisation of football I suppose. Youâre more likely to bring in a player from Eastern Europe or Asia than Ireland. The last decent Irish player was Aiden McGeady, but itâs a case of just getting the best 11 for the team I feel.â
Whatâs the best Celtic jersey home or away that you can remember? Current Adidas ones are a bit âriotyâ?
The hoops from the pierre era
1 Like
Thatâs outstanding.
The Peoples Club