26.4.04
Scotland on Sunday
**Thanks to Seán at ira2 for this story:
"A series of hard-hitting essays argues that CELTIC and
its traditions, including flying the Irish tricolour
at matches, are a legitimate focus for the large Irish
immigrant community that settled in the Glasgow area
in the 19th century."
CELTIC FANS SING THE PRAISES OF SECTARIAN ANTHEMS
--Jeremy Watson
SECTARIANISM has been widely condemned as a cancer in
Scottish society that has divided communities and cost
lives for generations. The nation’s leading football
clubs, Rangers and Celtic, often stand accused of
being magnets for bigotry.
But a new book written by leading Celtic supporters
controversially hits back this week, claiming that
sectarian tensions have been fuelled, rather than
defused, by attempts to strip the club and its fans of
their Irish roots.
A series of hard-hitting essays argues that Celtic and
its traditions, including flying the Irish tricolour
at matches, are a legitimate focus for the large Irish
immigrant community that settled in the Glasgow area
in the 19th century.
A central theme of Celtic Minded is that attempts to
crack down on the club’s alleged sectarian symbols
have served only to polarise communities and stoke
religiously motivated violence.
One of the contributors is Tommy Gemmell, a highly
regarded former Celtic full-back who, despite his
Protestant background, says the singing of traditional
Irish songs by fans should be accepted as part of the
club’s history.
Composer James MacMillan, who caused a storm five
years ago when he claimed Scotland was rife with
anti-Catholicism, now asks if there was a "sexual
element" to the anti-Catholic bullying he endured
during his 1960s childhood in the Ayrshire town of
Cumnock.
"We were the ‘feminine’ and ‘weaker’ religion after
all," MacMillan writes. "All that Virgin Mary worship
and imagine allowing yourself to be belted by
‘Penguins’ (the Cumnock word for nuns). And we were
the perennial losers from the Battle of the Boyne to
the various battles of Ibrox (up to circa 1966)."
The prevailing mentality was that "these ‘rogerings’
were deserved, and the administration of them
thoroughly deserved," MacMillan adds.
Celtic Minded has been compiled by Dr Joseph Bradley,
a lecturer in sports studies at the University of
Stirling and the author of several books on sport and
religion in Scotland.
Bradley said what came across strongly was that
anti-Irishness and a related anti-Catholicism,
although declining, had been part of the Scottish
scene for more than a century.
"There are people living in Scotland who consider
their Irishness to be primary," he said. "They feel
that their community has not been recognised and that
is why Celtic has become so important.
"That community founded Celtic. They will always
express themselves through that and will continue to
do so. Celtic is an Irish club in Scotland but it and
its fans have attracted a lot of opprobrium because of
that."
The book charts the animosity towards the flying of
the tricolour that persists to this day. In 1952,
after spectator trouble involving Catholic and Rangers
fans, the Scottish Football Association tried to ban
flags that were construed to have nothing to do with
Scotland.
But the SFA lacked the means to enforce its demand and
the attempt petered out. The Irish flag remains flying
at Celtic Park and among the club’s supporters, most
prominently at last year’s UEFA cup final in Spain.
Bradley believes trying to ban traditional symbols of
Irishness only serves to fuel sectarian tensions.
"They see themselves as a community partly under siege
and in continual conflict because of the dilution of
their identity," he said. "The idea of trying to get
these people to conform to a view of Scottishness that
suits the majority is not the way forward. A degree of
loyalty has to be given to the state that people live
in but there are other cultural things that matter on
a daily basis.
"You should be able to express your primary identity.
When we see people flying the tricolour or the Union
Jack we shouldn’t get it out of proportion. Rangers
and its supporters also have every right to assert
their British identity."
Bradley said he "loathed" sectarianism.
"This book is a statement against sectarianism and I
hope it will make some headway against this phenomenon
in Scotland."
Willy Maley, professor of English literature at
Glasgow University and another contributor to the
book, agreed that past anti-Catholic and anti-Irish
attitudes in Scotland had fuelled sectarianism.
"If you back people into a corner and take away their
symbols of identity it polarises opinion and makes
sectarian violence more probable," he said. "If you
try to ban something then everyone wants it. It breeds
monsters. Recognising those symbols as legitimate
should reduce tensions."
One man who has been at the sharp end of the sectarian
debate in Scotland is Donald Findlay, the Glasgow QC
who stepped down as Rangers’ vice-chairman in 2000
after being caught on film singing ‘The Sash’, a song
that commemorates a famous Protestant victory over
Catholic forces in Ireland.
Findlay said in the past he had defended the right of
Celtic fans to fly the tricolour as much as Rangers’
fans right to display the Union flag.
"If this book is advocating respect for everyone’s
traditions then I would be in total agreement. There
are both Catholic and Protestant songs that cause
offence to the other side.
"So there is much to be said for saying to people have
your traditions but update them and take out the most
offensive aspects. The fact you stand up for something
doesn’t mean you are hostile to another man’s
traditions and viewpoint."
Stamping out sectarianism became a Scottish Executive
goal after a series of murders and assaults involving
Celtic and Rangers fans. Although the figures are
disputed, one Glasgow University study recorded 11
deaths linked to sectarianism between 1984 and 2001.
Last year, a new law came into effect that for first
time linked crimes with religious hatred. Between June
and February this year, 260 people have been charged
by police.
**Thanks to Seán at ira2 for this story:
"A series of hard-hitting essays argues that CELTIC and
its traditions, including flying the Irish tricolour
at matches, are a legitimate focus for the large Irish
immigrant community that settled in the Glasgow area
in the 19th century."
CELTIC FANS SING THE PRAISES OF SECTARIAN ANTHEMS
--Jeremy Watson
SECTARIANISM has been widely condemned as a cancer in
Scottish society that has divided communities and cost
lives for generations. The nation’s leading football
clubs, Rangers and Celtic, often stand accused of
being magnets for bigotry.
But a new book written by leading Celtic supporters
controversially hits back this week, claiming that
sectarian tensions have been fuelled, rather than
defused, by attempts to strip the club and its fans of
their Irish roots.
A series of hard-hitting essays argues that Celtic and
its traditions, including flying the Irish tricolour
at matches, are a legitimate focus for the large Irish
immigrant community that settled in the Glasgow area
in the 19th century.
A central theme of Celtic Minded is that attempts to
crack down on the club’s alleged sectarian symbols
have served only to polarise communities and stoke
religiously motivated violence.
One of the contributors is Tommy Gemmell, a highly
regarded former Celtic full-back who, despite his
Protestant background, says the singing of traditional
Irish songs by fans should be accepted as part of the
club’s history.
Composer James MacMillan, who caused a storm five
years ago when he claimed Scotland was rife with
anti-Catholicism, now asks if there was a "sexual
element" to the anti-Catholic bullying he endured
during his 1960s childhood in the Ayrshire town of
Cumnock.
"We were the ‘feminine’ and ‘weaker’ religion after
all," MacMillan writes. "All that Virgin Mary worship
and imagine allowing yourself to be belted by
‘Penguins’ (the Cumnock word for nuns). And we were
the perennial losers from the Battle of the Boyne to
the various battles of Ibrox (up to circa 1966)."
The prevailing mentality was that "these ‘rogerings’
were deserved, and the administration of them
thoroughly deserved," MacMillan adds.
Celtic Minded has been compiled by Dr Joseph Bradley,
a lecturer in sports studies at the University of
Stirling and the author of several books on sport and
religion in Scotland.
Bradley said what came across strongly was that
anti-Irishness and a related anti-Catholicism,
although declining, had been part of the Scottish
scene for more than a century.
"There are people living in Scotland who consider
their Irishness to be primary," he said. "They feel
that their community has not been recognised and that
is why Celtic has become so important.
"That community founded Celtic. They will always
express themselves through that and will continue to
do so. Celtic is an Irish club in Scotland but it and
its fans have attracted a lot of opprobrium because of
that."
The book charts the animosity towards the flying of
the tricolour that persists to this day. In 1952,
after spectator trouble involving Catholic and Rangers
fans, the Scottish Football Association tried to ban
flags that were construed to have nothing to do with
Scotland.
But the SFA lacked the means to enforce its demand and
the attempt petered out. The Irish flag remains flying
at Celtic Park and among the club’s supporters, most
prominently at last year’s UEFA cup final in Spain.
Bradley believes trying to ban traditional symbols of
Irishness only serves to fuel sectarian tensions.
"They see themselves as a community partly under siege
and in continual conflict because of the dilution of
their identity," he said. "The idea of trying to get
these people to conform to a view of Scottishness that
suits the majority is not the way forward. A degree of
loyalty has to be given to the state that people live
in but there are other cultural things that matter on
a daily basis.
"You should be able to express your primary identity.
When we see people flying the tricolour or the Union
Jack we shouldn’t get it out of proportion. Rangers
and its supporters also have every right to assert
their British identity."
Bradley said he "loathed" sectarianism.
"This book is a statement against sectarianism and I
hope it will make some headway against this phenomenon
in Scotland."
Willy Maley, professor of English literature at
Glasgow University and another contributor to the
book, agreed that past anti-Catholic and anti-Irish
attitudes in Scotland had fuelled sectarianism.
"If you back people into a corner and take away their
symbols of identity it polarises opinion and makes
sectarian violence more probable," he said. "If you
try to ban something then everyone wants it. It breeds
monsters. Recognising those symbols as legitimate
should reduce tensions."
One man who has been at the sharp end of the sectarian
debate in Scotland is Donald Findlay, the Glasgow QC
who stepped down as Rangers’ vice-chairman in 2000
after being caught on film singing ‘The Sash’, a song
that commemorates a famous Protestant victory over
Catholic forces in Ireland.
Findlay said in the past he had defended the right of
Celtic fans to fly the tricolour as much as Rangers’
fans right to display the Union flag.
"If this book is advocating respect for everyone’s
traditions then I would be in total agreement. There
are both Catholic and Protestant songs that cause
offence to the other side.
"So there is much to be said for saying to people have
your traditions but update them and take out the most
offensive aspects. The fact you stand up for something
doesn’t mean you are hostile to another man’s
traditions and viewpoint."
Stamping out sectarianism became a Scottish Executive
goal after a series of murders and assaults involving
Celtic and Rangers fans. Although the figures are
disputed, one Glasgow University study recorded 11
deaths linked to sectarianism between 1984 and 2001.
Last year, a new law came into effect that for first
time linked crimes with religious hatred. Between June
and February this year, 260 people have been charged
by police.
