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Details
Title: The Celtic, Glasgow Irish and the Great War: The Gathering Storms
Author: Ian McCallum
Published: December 2013
Homepage: http://www.theglasgowirish.com/
Synopsis
The series of books, THE CELTIC, GLASGOW IRISH AND THE GREAT WAR examines the social history, the contemporary political atmosphere and the Great War experiences of the Scots-Irish Roman Catholic community living in west central Scotland between 1914 and 1919.
All the major, political, social, military and footballing events over the course of the war are covered. All relevant subjects are examined through the prism of the Celtic Football and Athletic Club and it’s sporting performances over the five football seasons of the Great War.
THE GATHERING STORMS, sets the scene for the following books. It paints a picture of the origins and life experiences of the Glasgow Irish community in their adopted homeland over a period of 100 years up to the eve of the Great War. Labelled “Glasgow Irish”, the title was at the time a colloquialism for an Irish Roman Catholic or their descendants. It was a term of derision, hatred and contempt given them by the wider Glasgow community, from whom they had been effectively ostracised, set apart socially because of their race, religion and their perceived social neediness.
The book examines the community’s political attitudes and social ambitions for their own community and their friends and relations in Ireland as war clouds gather both in Ireland and in Europe. Central to the story of the Glasgow Irish is their greatest sporting achievement the Celtic Football and Athletic Club.
THE GATHERING STORMS provides an insight into the early social and political history of the football club. It also provides a number of detailed pen pictures of the club’s founding fathers, many never before published, and a thorough account of the hostile takeover that converted the community asset into a hugely profitable private company.
The book also examines the unique relationship between the club and it’s worldwide family of supporters.
Review
(Review by pmarsh22 of CGS forum)
The Gathering Storms: Ian McCallum
Before I get into the book proper, we should remember that Celtic Football Club, 125 years unbroken history is very well served, perhaps more than any other club, with books, books and more books.
In the “noughties” we had 105 publications, and in this decade so far we have had 66, 17 this year alone.
We have player biographies, autobiographies, statistics and metrics and of course histories.
We have club historians such as Pat Woods, Tom Campbell, David Potter, Graham McColl, George Sheridan and Brian Wilson, a very talented “alumni” of our great club.
Their output such as A Century with Honour, Celtic Encyclopaedia, Dreams and Songs to Sing, Glory and the Dream, Official Biography and 125 Years are all tremendous illustrations of what Celtic as club, and its fans are all about.
One glaring omission above is that of Brother Clare, who wrote the Celtic Story, published in 1962, under his name of James E Handley, I always wished that this had been published under his adopted name as a lasting testament to the Marist Brothers.
Well allow me to introduce to you a new name, well new to me, that must be added to this list, Ian McCallum and his first production, The Gathering Storms: Celtic, Glasgow Irish and the Great War, an evocative title, not to be confused with Winston Churchill’s history of the 2nd World War which is where I first heard of the term Gathering Storms.
McCallum, born in the East End of Glasgow, a lifelong supporter has driven buses and trains, been in the Army, and when not producing stuff like this involves himself in military and family research.
Within this book, there is great detail around the major players, Maley, McLaughlin, the McKillops, Conway et al, some of which you may already know of, due to the brilliant work being done by the Celtic Graves Society.
What McCallum has done is take the elements that have made this club such an intriguing and addictive act to follow throughout their history and rolled it up concisely into this amazing publication, they are all here, poverty, charity, religion, politics and business acumen.
As I say, intriguing and there are facts and figures and tales within that you will find astonishing.
Intended to be a series of 6 publications, this first edition takes us from inception through to the eve of the 1st World War, looking through the prism that is the Celtic Football Club. It’s not only about Celtic; it’s about the Irish Community and their struggle throughout that time.
Each of the following 5 books is set within the context of the Celtic football team and its sporting performances over the 5 football seasons that were affected by the Great War.
The major, political, social, military and footballing events as they impacted the Celtic and the Glasgow Irish community are detailed. Tens of thousands of the Glasgow Irish fought and thousands died not just for the freedom of Ireland and other small nations, but for the freedom of Glasgow and Scotland.
Included are many illustrations of well known, and some not so well known faces.
Form the first chapter, “Just Exactly Who are The People”? through to “Armageddon”, we are taken on a historical journey, few of us will have ever been on before. The amount of research McCallum must have gone through, I cannot, imagine but what he has produced here is just brilliant. To be honest it is not an easy read, it’s not a nice wee story, it is deep and inquisitive and it does have you “hooked” as in what is going on, and desperate for more.
If I could sum up this book in one word it would be “astonishing”, just simply “astonishing”. It is a step removed from what we are used to, and by that I am not criticising what has gone before, but this moves us into “academia”, this is social history being portrayed before us in a way, by using Celtic FC as the axis for the tale, never seen before.
It is well often quoted “If You Know The History” and before this I would have said, “of course I do”, well I was wrong, this resets the agenda and I believe this book and the subsequent editions will become the standard, de facto / “go to” reference of our clubs first 25 years.
I cannot wait for the next edition, “The Storm Breaks” hopefully due for publication in the coming 6 months or so.
By CGS member & Celtic book collector pmarsh22 who reckons he has every Publication.
Review by Celtic Historian George Sheridan in the Easter edition of that fine Fanzine “The Celts”.
What Richard Purden freelance writer and Author of Celtic Books – “Faithful Through and Through” and “We Are Celtic Supporters” says about the Gathering Storms.
Product Details
- Hardcover: 300 pages
- Publisher: Imprint unknown; 1st edition (Dec 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0954126327
- ISBN-13: 978-0954126322
