an Gorta Mor and Celtic Football Club

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Joe O'Rourke
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an Gorta Mor and Celtic Football Club

Postby Joe O'Rourke » Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:47 pm

While all the speculation is on the new Manager, let us never forget where we came from. The Great Hunger in Ireland is a crucial event in the history of Celtic Football Club and for many of the club's support. Without this event there would have been no mass migration from Ireland, no 100,000 poverty stricken famine ravaged refugees fleeing to the west of Scotland and no need or motivation for the establishment of a football club to feed and inspire many of these refugees and their offspring in Scotland. The Irish Famine is the seminal event in the history and narrative that is Celtic.
When we played Hibernian recently Celtic commemorated an Gorta Mor by wearing a special badge on their jersey's, recognising our history, which we are rightly very proud of. In 2001 the club also made a sgnificant donation to the raising of a National Irish Famine monument at the Marian Grotto at Carfin in Lanarkshire, as did the Celtic Supporters Association. the opening ceremony was carried out by Irish Premier Bertie Aherne and was attended by officials of Celtic and all the main Scottish politicians of the time, John Reid attended as a Scottish Minister, there were many thousands of ordinary people there who wanted to remember both the horror suffered by their predecessors and the reality of the ever present scourge of Famine in the world today.
The annual commemorative Mass will be concelebrated at 3pm on Sunday June 7th at the Irish site at Carfin's Grotto, it will be led by Bishop Joseph Devine of Motherwell. It is anticipated that many Celtic supporters will attend to remember those who died and those who suffered as a result of the Great Hunger and to be mindful of those who still die daily from hunger.
Finally i would remind people not to refer to this event as a potato famine, although the potato crop was ruined there was plenty of other food the people could have ate but this was denied them, people should remember that most Famines are the result of human action as well as inaction by the people in power.
May Walfrid watch over us all.

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