The Little Book of Irish Football

2

THE IRISH EMBRACE THE ASSOCIATION GAME

IRISH FOOTBALLING DIASPORA IN 'EDINA - SCOTIA'S DARLING SEAT'

In 1875, thirteen years before Glasgow Celtic were formed, Hibernian of Edinburgh were established in the Cowgate area by Irishmen Canon Joseph Hanon and Michael Whelehan. With the history of Irish emigration in the 1800s, the Cowgate area had become known as 'Little Ireland', and the club was administered by the Catholic Young Men's Association as a means of generating money for the Irish in Edinburgh as a form of 'poor relief'.

The name Hibernian comes from Hibernia, the classical Roman name for Ireland, loosely translated as the 'Land of Winter'. The club promoted its Irish roots with gusto, playing originally in green and white hoops which were adorned with a badge sporting the Irish harp. Add to that the fact that the club's motto was 'Erin Go Bragh' ('Ireland forever') and the Irish credentials of Hibernian were impeccable.

Given a perceived anti-Irish bias across Scotland, together with Hibernian's support for Irish Home Rule, the club found it difficult to gain recognition from the Scottish Football Association. Ironically, on Christmas Day 1875, local rivals Heart of Midlothian agreed to play the 'Hibs' in a challenge game, which afforded the club a degree of formal recognition.

In the 1930s, the appointment of Harry Swan as the club's chairman saw him oversee several changes that led to claims that he was trying to dilute the 'Irishness' of the club. One of Swan's first acts was to end the custom that Catholic priests would be admitted to Hibernian home games free of charge. His image was not helped when it then came to light that he had voted in favour of Celtic removing the Irish tricolour in the 1952 flag controversy (see page 70), which alienated him further from fans.

In 1956, during the refurbishment of Easter Road, the Irish Harp that was located at the south entrance to the terraces was removed. Swan did commission an ornate Irish harp for display in the club's boardroom, but the removal of the original harp gave birth to the classic 'Gypsy's Curse' tale, which foretold that Hibernian would not win the Scottish Cup until the harp was re-erected. Far-fetched as it may seem, the club lost six Scottish Cup finals during the time that the supposed curse was in place. The psychological baggage of the curse was finally broken with a win over Rangers in the 2016 decider.

ULSTER CRICKET CLUB TRIAL A WINTER SPORT

While England and Scotland led the way in the association game, Ireland was slow to catch up. In late 1875, the first clues became evident that 'soccer' was beginning to make a mark. Specifically, for cricket clubs, the attraction of football as a winter pastime and an alternative to rugby was considered by many clubs. In December 1875, the Ulster Cricket Club, based on Belfast's Ormeau Road, were trailblazers for the 'round ball' game, when it organised a soccer game between its players. The Northern Whig carried a short passage on the novel venture by the club:

Ulster Cricket Club - This club played its first game on Saturday when there was a good turnout of players. The game was played according to association rules and was apparently enjoyed by spectators and players. This club intends to play both rules (Rugby and Association) this season, when they will determine which sport they shall take up. The Association game is entirely new here and is evidently well worthy of a general trial.

'BUTTING LIKE A PACK OF YOUNG GOATS' - BELFAST 1878

John McAlery, who owned the Irish Tweed House on Belfast's Royal Avenue, apparently witnessed the 'association game' while on honeymoon in Glasgow. He was most impressed and became determined to see football established in Ireland. In October 1878, he persuaded both Queen's Park and Corinthians of Glasgow to travel to Belfast and play an exhibition game. The grounds of the Ulster Cricket Club (now known as Ulidia Playing Fields) hosted the game on 24 October 1878. The match was sponsored by the Windsor and Ulster rugby clubs and gentlemen were admitted for sixpence, while ladies were admitted free of charge.

As it was, a 'healthy' and 'curious' crowd of almost 1,000 turned up for the contest, which Queen's Park won 3-1. Eight Scottish internationals appeared in the line-ups and the Belfast News Letter noted that the spectators had been 'entertained' and 'anything resembling a scrummage, which is so common under the rugby rules, was not seen; and the match altogether passed off most pleasantly and successfully'. However, there was a scepticism expressed about the merits of the association game, with the Irish Sportsman and Farmer suggesting that the players heading the ball 'were butting like a pack of young goats'. The correspondent, who was obviously a rugby diehard, described the forwards as having all the composure of 'ballet-dancers'.

CLIFTONVILLE AND THE IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

On 20 September 1879, a small advertisement appeared in the Belfast News Letter on behalf of the aforementioned John McAlery, inviting people to join him in a venture to be known as the Cliftonville Association Football Club. Accordingly, Cliftonville FC, Ireland's oldest club, was established in the prosperous north Belfast suburb from which it took its name.

In 1890, the club formally opened its present ground, known as Solitude, where they had played since 1888 and that was named after a stately home which once stood nearby. In keeping with the Corinthian spirit of the age, Cliftonville were established as an amateur club under the Scottish Football Association Rules and retained that status until 1972.

On 18 November 1880, at a meeting at the Queen's Hotel in Belfast, the Irish Football Association (IFA) was formed. The draft constitution of the organisation was adopted, with Major Spencer Chichester elected president and McAlery as secretary. The Scottish FA's playing rules were adopted by the association and seven clubs became founder members. The clubs were Avoniel, Distillery, Cliftonville, Knock and Oldpark, together with County Derry representatives Alexander and Moyola Park.

In Dublin, the game was growing at a more leisurely pace than in the north. In 1883, the Dublin Association Football Club was established. Nine years later, the Leinster Football Association was formed, with five founding members admitted, namely Bohemians, Montpelier, St Helen's School, Dublin University and the Leinster Nomads.

REDS GROW IN STATURE VIA THE 'FRIENDLY' ROUTE

Exactly one week after John McAlery's advertisement appeared in the Belfast News Letter, Cliftonville played its first practise game against Quidnuncs, who were a local cricket side complemented by several rugby players. The match, played at the Cliftonville Cricket Ground, was won by the Quidnuncs, who were described as a 'far superior and fitter outfit', by two goals to one. The conditions were described as 'atrocious', with a constant downpour impacting on play. The Northern Whig commented, 'The game was new to most of the players and the match could not be considered a good exhibition of the association code, with "handball" occurring all too frequently.' The report continued that the association game was 'at present, our principal winter game, and as there are very many young men who dislike the roughness attending the rugby code, they will doubtless hail with delight the establishment of the association code in our midst'.

Three weeks' later, on 18 October 1879, Glasgow's Caledonian travelled to Belfast to face a Cliftonville team, led by McAlery. The Belfast News Letter noted, 'While it is not to be expected that the visitors will be defeated, there is every prospect of their having to play for their victory.'

As for the game itself, the poor weather dominated news reports with 'superabundant moisture above and below the pitch' limiting the attendance to a few hundred. What the spectators witnessed was a footballing lesson by the Glaswegians, who came away with a 9-1 win. The visitors, whom it was noted, 'showed innovation, which was so widely demonstrated, coupled with a desire to affect manliness by ignoring danger', easily disposed of an inferior Cliftonville side, which 'exhibited a spirit of pluck and enterprise which is sure to be appreciated'.

Undeterred by the heavy loss, the following Saturday, Cliftonville played a further practise game with the club's Treasurer's XI facing the Secretary's XI. That game was in preparation for the home meeting with Knock on 1 November.

On a fine autumn day, Cliftonville beat their rivals Knock from east Belfast 2-0 in front of a 'good attendance of spectators, including a large number of ladies'. The star of the game was McAlery, who played in 'his usual brilliant style' in defence for Cliftonville.

Practise games continued over November and December for a game on 3 January against Portland FC of Kilmarnock, who had been runners-up in the 1878/79 Ayrshire Cup. The Scots arrived in Belfast on the day of the game after what had been described as a 'stormy passage' and were 'in anything but in good form'. Again, the Belfast side suffered a 9-1...