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Details
Reference to: Celtic Park
Derivations: Dear Green Place
Started: From 1892 onwards
Definition
Our club has been based in the East End of the city since its inception. Built from nothing by a set of pioneering men, the stadium was to be the focus for a downtrodden community for whom otherwise the Church was the only refuge. The stadium was to be a great landmark for the Irish immigrant community and their descendants.
The moniker of 'Paradise' was derived from, or its earliest origins at least were thought to be taken from, a remark by a person that it was “It’s like moving from the graveyard to Paradise”. Another quote states it was from a journalist remarking at time of opening that the move to the new ground was like "leaving the graveyard to enter paradise".
By sources, the oldest reference stems from a prediction by John H McLaughlin at the May 182 AGM that 'a desert would become a Garden of Eden'. This comment prompted one member to enquire if the players would 'dream of Paradise when flitting on its sward?'. According to authors Tom Campbell & Pat Woods in their book "Dreams & Songs to Sing" this exchange seems the most likely origins of the ground's moniker.
For the supporters 'Paradise' summed up perfectly what the stadium was to them. The place and the matches gave us all a place to escape our normal lives for a short time and feel part of something special. The obvious religious overtones of the nickname itself reflect the Christian foundations of the club, and further bolsters the reasons why the moniker is so perfectly apt for our stadium in various ways.
