Founding by Brother Walfrid 1887

Lore & Background

Walfrid was born in Ballymote, County Sligo, Ireland. He joined the Marist Brothers Teaching Order in 1864 and moved to Scotland in the 1870s, teaching at St. Mary's School and Sacred Heart School, where he became headmaster in 1874. He also helped found St. Joseph's College, Dumfries. In 1887, he founded Celtic Football Club. In 1893, he was sent to London's East End, where he organized football matches for poor children and established The Poor Children's Dinner Table. He died on 17 April 1915 and is buried in Mount St. Michael Cemetery, Dumfries.

In Their Own Story

The fog clung heavy to the East End's tenements, a grey shroud over Glasgow where coal smoke mingled with the damp wool of parishioners huddled in St. Mary's hall. Brother Walfrid didn't speak of silverware or glory; his voice cut through the murmur with a stark simplicity: 'We shall build a team, not for the rich, but for the forgotten.' In that dimly lit room, amidst the scratch of quills and the weary nods of men whose pockets were empty, the green and white hoops were conceived. They weren't born from a dream of trophies, but from a desperate need to fill a child's belly. The first whistle would not blow until years later on a muddy pitch, but the club's soul was forged here: an unbreakable promise that football could be a weapon against hunger.

Reader's Guide

A commemorative sculpture of Brother Walfrid was erected outside Celtic Park on 5 November 2005. The 3.2-metre-high bronze statue on a granite pedestal cost £30,000, funded by donations. The unveiling was performed by Sean Fallon and attended by Archbishop Mario Conti, who blessed the statue. A bust of Walfrid was also unveiled in Ballymote public park in 2005.

Did You Know?

• Brother Walfrid's religious name was taken from Saint Walfrid.
• He helped found St. Joseph's College in Dumfries.
• The statue of Walfrid outside Celtic Park was funded entirely by donations.
• A bust of Brother Walfrid was unveiled in his hometown of Ballymote in 2005.