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Sitting here in my wee box room I can see the dark Lanarkshire sky lighting up with fireworks being set off as part of the traditional celebration of the thwarting and consequent bludgeoning of Guy Fawkes. I am not inclined to join in the celebration for reasons that I won’t go into now. Perhaps it is enough to say that the noise of the rockets and firecrackers are drowned out by the Saw Doctors new album playing away in the background. Listening to the Saws and sipping a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio – ah I’m almost in heaven!
My mind now turns to the events of this afternoon, where another historic occasion in the life of that glorious institution, Glasgow Celtic unveiled itself. Today the supporters of this unique football club revealed and put on display its very soul. And about bloody time too! At the request of my friend Eddie, and for the sake of those who would have loved to have been there, I’ve jotted down an outline of my memories of the afternoon when Andrew Kerins arrived back at the gates of Paradise.
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The rain had been pouting down all morning and continued as I drove into Parkhead, however, as I got out of my car and pulled on all my waterproof regalia, the sun started to shine down on the east end of Glasgow. At about 1250hr there were only a few hundred supporters had gathered and I managed to find myself a position near the front. At 1300 Phil Agnew, from the Brother Walfrid Memorial Fund Committee welcomed the fans and introduced the screening of a video outlining the life and times of Brother Walfrid. The video, narrated by Neil Lennon, was genuinely very interesting and, if it’s ever put on sale, I recommend you buy it. As for Lenny, he made an excellent presenter and certainly gave the impression that he was proud to be part of it all. By the end of the film the car park had completely filled with thousands of the faithful. They were late, but they had arrived! |
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At 1400 to the sound of a piper playing The West’s Awake, the V.I.P.s emerged from the front doors and started to fill up the seats at the front of the main entrance. Out they came, the great and the good, the hangers on and John Greig. I recall seeing Archbishop Conti, Sean Fallon, Tony Roper, Chairmen of other Scottish clubs, Supporters Club Assoc. presidents, Brian Quinn, current Celtic F.C. directors, remnants of a sacked board, Gordon Strachan (who disappeared during the events), Tommy Burns, Neil Lennon, Fallon, Craig, Gemmell, McNeill, McBride, Auld, Lennox, Willie O’Neill and many more.
Professor Thomas Devine made the introductions and was an impeccable MC throughout. First up was a brave wee Celtic man from Govan, whose contribution to Celtic will, hopefully, one day be appreciated. Brian Quinn delivered a thought provoking speech asking some searching questions including why Celtic should be the sole survivor of all those clubs (including Balaclava Rangers – honest to God!) who had applied at the same time as Walfrid for membership of the Scottish football league.
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The answer lay in the hearts and minds of those created and sustained the organisation that was, and is much more than simply a football club. Brian, among others, referred with pride to the inclusive nature of Celtic. He continued by praising highly the generosity of Celtic fans and brought a cheer form the crowd when he reminded them of the man who had re-founded the official charitable element of the Football Club Ltd. I hope that the supporters’ response warmed the heart of the wee, bespectacled man in the black Bunnet as he remained in the background. Surely it will not be much longer before Fergus McCann is rightly honoured for his not insignificant contribution to the Celtic cause! Caesar took to the podium amid loud proclaim. He gave a tidy, if somewhat predictable speech and left to a hail of cheering. Next up, Eddie Toner, Chairperson of the Brother Walfrid Memorial Fund Committee, who made a fine, if rather long, presentation. Eddie asked and answered some important questions. What would Walfrid think of the club today? What would he think of individuals picking up each week more than the average working man’s annual salary? |
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Yes, I wonder what he would make of it all! Would he recognise the good that remained and how would he measure the success of the club that he started almost one hundred and twenty years ago. Do we? Enough of the speechifactions, the time had come for another Sligo man to cut the ribbon aided by a whole host of people including Andrew Kerins (Walfrid’s grandnephew and namesake), representatives of the Scottish Refugee Council (lest we forget what it is like to be unwanted immigrants) and Brian Quinn.
At last the statue saw the light of a Parkhead day – long may it grace our holy ground, long may it proudly remind us, and those who come after us, of who we are and how we came to be. And there’s more… the bronze Walfrid had his head splashed with holy water in a moving and warm ceremony conducted by the eloquent Archbishop of Glasgow. Mario Conti confessed to not coming from a ‘Celtic minded’ background, but recalled a friend of his, who was a ‘fanatic’. The crowd loudly cheered the memory of Cardinal Thomas Winning born under these very Lanarkshire skies. He would have been really chuffed. Archbishop Conti concluded his involvement by presenting Celtic F.C. with a Celtic cross sculpted from a stone taken from the now demolished St.Mary’s Church Hall, where the club had been founded on the 6 th November 1887. |
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A time of reflection ensued to the strains of music composed by Scotland’s foremost classical genius and teller of things as they truly are – James McMillan. Paddy McNulty had created the arrangement magnificently entitled “Walfrid, on his Arrival at the Gates of Paradise” performed by a group of gifted musicians from Coatbridge. McMillan and the musicians took a bow to warm applause and the feeling that this was indeed a very special day was reinforced when, following some poignant closing remarks by Tom Devine, a piper struck up “The Fields of Athenry”. The crowd sang along in an touching outpouring of emotion. 1515 hr, the great and good, the hangers on, John Greig and me started to make our way from this memorable ceremony as the Celtic supporters belted out “There’s only one Brother Walfrid”. I’ll be back again, many times, if God spares me. I hope the sight of Kate Robinson’s sculpture is a constant reminder of the mission of Brother Walfrid, of Celtic F.C. and of each and every one of us. by JP |
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