Hibs and the Irish question

[Pagan Hibernia]

Not looking to start a row with this. Not one of us here want Hibs to be like some mini Celtic, some sort of east of Scotland Celtic, or any sort of try-hard wanna-be Irish organisation. We’re practically all comfortable with Hibs being an modern inclusive club open to all.

but I do find it very interesting, that on a day when clubs up and down Britain with little if any Irish connections apart from maybe the odd player are wishing their supporters a Happy St Patrick’s Day through their social media channels, our club, the one built by Edinburgh’s early Irish community, named after Ireland, that still plays in green in homage to those roots, that carries that heritage in its club badge… can’t even bring themselves to acknowledge the date. Did they forget? Or is it some sort of shame or fear that they might be labelled sectarian or offend somebody.

as you can tell from my username I’m no Christian, so the religious elements of St Patrick’s Day mean nothing to me, nor am I some flag waving zealot for Irish nationalism. I’m not even really a twitter user much so it doesn’t really bother me - I just find Hibs identity endlessly fascinating.

[NAE NOOKIE]

I cant ever remember the club putting happy St Andrew's day on its official page or tweeting it either.

If folk wan't St Patrick's day content just turn on the telly, you can't miss it .... Guinness have a lot to answer for

[Vini1875]

I think our big problem is that we try so hard to not be like celtc, anything they do we don't. For me that is a failing.

[Pagan Hibernia]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I cant ever remember the club putting happy St Andrew's day on its official page or tweeting it either.

If folk wan't St Patrick's day content just turn on the telly, you can't miss it .... Guinness have a lot to answer for

absolutely, and I’m not advocating it, I’m perfectly comfortable with Hibs doing what they do. I just wondered if the club see it as some sort of taboo subject.

[ErinGoBraghHFC]

Honestly, **** Celtic and **** anyone who compares us to them. I couldn’t give the shiniest ***** what anyone thinks about us, there’ll be folk among the hibs support who don’t like it but why don’t we start to celebrate our Irish heritage more? I’m not talking to full blown yankee style plastic paddy and all start taking ****ing DNA tests and claiming abandoned castles, but a bit of acknowledgment of what the Irish population of Edinburgh created would be fabulous. Plus, tap into the Yankee style plastic paddy market that I just slagged off and make an extra few quid, it’s a win win other than getting a (somehow) harder time off the papers and SFA.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[marinello59]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I cant ever remember the club putting happy St Andrew's day on its official page or tweeting it either.

If folk wan't St Patrick's day content just turn on the telly, you can't miss it .... Guinness have a lot to answer for

Thats where I am. St Patrick day is a commercial festival. A great excuse to drink Guiness though.

[NAE NOOKIE]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Honestly, **** Celtic and **** anyone who compares us to them. I couldn’t give the shiniest ***** what anyone thinks about us, there’ll be folk among the hibs support who don’t like it but why don’t we start to celebrate our Irish heritage more? I’m not talking to full blown yankee style plastic paddy and all start taking ****ing DNA tests and claiming abandoned castles, but a bit of acknowledgment of what the Irish population of Edinburgh created would be fabulous. Plus, tap into the Yankee style plastic paddy market that I just slagged off and make an extra few quid, it’s a win win other than getting a (somehow) harder time off the papers and SFA.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The club is called Hibernian, it plays in green and white and it has an Irish harp in it's badge .... I think we acknowledge our Irish roots just fine and anybody who takes the Easter Road tour is left in no doubt who the club's original founders were and where they came from. It's the same for anybody who looks at our Wikipedia page where the club's early history is well documented.

IMO the balance we have is just fine. Hibs were indeed formed by Irishmen, which everybody who supports the club is more than happy to acknowledge, but mate, 95% of it's modern day support is Scottish and I'm willing to bet more than half of the remaining 5% is English ..... If as we all claim the club is the fans it's a hell of a long time since this was an Irish club.

The OP was on about St Patrick's day .... I love this club, but that means absolutely nothing to me. If Hibs choose to get closer to the club's Irish roots then get bloody Guinness to sponsor us and chuck a few million at the club.

[ChilliEater]

I think we shoud rename the ground "Easter Uprising 1916 Road Stadium"

[hibsbollah]

As has been said, St Patrick’s day is now a commercial event, where Guinness and the licensed trade in metropolitan areas with large student populations make a few bob. It’s that lepracaun-ey, dye the river green Oirishness that owes more to the Irish diaspora in the US than to any authentic sense of Irish in Scotland.

I’m quite happy for Hibs to ignore the date.

[Pretty Boy]

The Celtic love in with St Patrick's Day sums both up.

Both derived from something genuine but both more than a bit plastic.

[hibbydog]

Hibs are 100% no mini Celtic. The opposite is true. They only exist because of us.

James Stephen’s book about the 2016 Scottish Cup win includes a section about our previous Scottish Cup wins. Turns out that, after a team of Irish Immigrants from Edinburgh won the tournament in 1887, their counterparts in Glasgow invited them through for a party to celebrate their success.

Apparently a conversation ensued about setting up a football team and Hibs recommended they give it a go. The weegies then formed a team in 1888 called Glasgow Celtic.

I’m all for nights out an all, but by god, I really wish our players had stayed home that night !!!

[BSEJVT]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Hibs are 100% no mini Celtic. The opposite is true. They only exist because of us.

James Stephen’s book about the 2016 Scottish Cup win includes a section about our previous Scottish Cup wins. Turns out that, after a team of Irish Immigrants from Edinburgh won the tournament in 1887, their counterparts in Glasgow invited them through for a party to celebrate their success.

Apparently a conversation ensued about setting up a football team and Hibs recommended they give it a go. The weegies then formed a team in 1888 called Glasgow Celtic.

I’m all for nights out an all, but by god, I really wish our players had stayed home that night !!!

You could take an entirely different view and be grateful that their doing so saved us from becoming embroiled in the sectarian nonsense that so besmirches Scotland in the 2020's by becoming the talisman for that side of the divide.

I would like to think that our history has informed us to being the type of club we are today, but as someone with no links to Ireland and absolutely zero interest in religion of any sort, it would be a very dark day indeed for me if we were to walk even one step down the path towards what Celtic are for a few sheckles.

[BILLYHIBS]

Cannot remember Hibernian Football Club wishing everyone a Happy St Patrick’s Day ever …

Proud of our club and feel we handle our Irish roots just fine

I am of Irish Catholic descent and I do not like what I see and hear when Celtic come a calling

Embarrassing

[James Stephen]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Hibs are 100% no mini Celtic. The opposite is true. They only exist because of us.

James Stephen’s book about the 2016 Scottish Cup win includes a section about our previous Scottish Cup wins. Turns out that, after a team of Irish Immigrants from Edinburgh won the tournament in 1887, their counterparts in Glasgow invited them through for a party to celebrate their success.

Apparently a conversation ensued about setting up a football team and Hibs recommended they give it a go. The weegies then formed a team in 1888 called Glasgow Celtic.

I’m all for nights out an all, but by god, I really wish our players had stayed home that night !!!

Looking even deeper into that story is fascinating, as for various reasons, the nascent Celtic board split, with one wing wanting to emulate Hibs charitable approach, the othrt being far more ruthless and commercially focused.

The charitable wing left and formed Glasgow Hibernian instead, but it was doomed to failure and Celtic became the ruthless winning machine they still are, almost from the outset.

Its a fascinating subject. Hibs unease with their identity has, in my view caused enormous difficulty for the club down the years, and was seen by some - possibly even Harry Swan - as a millstone to be cut away. To others it was the ethos and the clubs reason for being.

In its own way, its similar to the debate about moving the derby ko. Where does a club choose to draw the line between ethos, and intangible things like identity, and commercialism, on-pitch success etc.

I think Hibs have wrestled with that for a long period of their middle history. Its for each person to decide if they got it right or wrong.

As Lugton points out, Hibs did used to celebrate St Pats day, Hibs home is of course St Pats church. Equally, Hibs were - deliberately - founded on the birthday of Daniel O'Connell the great Irish nationalist, so symbolism did matter to the club for the first 3rd or so of its existence.

Also, and ive read people on here talking about it mick orourke maybe?) There was a tradition among the cowgate community well into the 20th century to have Scots / Irish day where the kids, on st pats day, would ask people on the street 'scots or irish' and if they answered scots, the kids would hit them on the head with wee toy koshs they had made.

[Smartie]

Knowing how hard it can be to come up with social media material, I do think it’s a bit odd that Hibs wouldn’t punt out a post, possibly with pictures of a few of our Irish players over the years in their finest moments alongside a brief mention of what happened in 1875, to “remain engaged” with the fan base. A collage of Horgan scoring against Hearts, Logan performing Hampden heroics and Clancy enjoying some time on the treatment table should do the job.

If nothing else it’s a way to tick a box, to fill some space.

Not sure I’d go reading all that much into it, although it will be interesting to see if we acknowledge metal hat day in May.

[BILLYHIBS]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Looking even deeper into that stort is fascinating, as for various reasons, the nascent Celtic board split, with one wing wanting to emulate Hibs charitable approach, the othrt being far more ruthless and commercially focused.

The charitable wing left and formed Glasgow Hibernian instead, but it was doomed to failure and Celtic became the ruthless winning machine they still are, almost ffom3the outset.

Its a fascinating subject. Hibs unease with their identity has, in my view caused enormous difficulty for the club down the years, and was seen by some - possibly even Harry Swan - as a millstone to be cut away. To others it was the ethos and the clubs reason for being.

In its own way, its similar to the debate about moving the derby ko. Where does a club choose to draw the line between ethos, and intangible things like identity, and commercialism, on-pitch success etc.

I think Hibs have wrestled with that for a long period of their middle history. Its for each person to decide if they got it right or wrong.

As Lugton points out, Hibs did used to celebrate St Pats day, Hibs home is of course St Pats church. Equally, Hibs weee - deliberately - founded on the birthday of Daniel O'Connell the great Irish nationalist, so symbolism did matter to the club for the first 3rd or so of its existence.

Brilliant fascinating and excellent book James very well done

A few run ins with Celtic in Scottish Cup Finals over the years with interesting facts and details

No love lost

Highly recommended

[James Stephen]

Also, noted that Hanlon Stevenson Foundation created St Pats day scarves with the original Hibs badge on it, so they obviously think there is a market for it.

[Carheenlea]

It’s quite a big thing in Ireland mind you. National holiday, and my Irish in laws were all out yesterday enjoying parades that is an annual event in Galway and surrounding towns.

Non Irish people over here dressing up in inflammable oversized leprechaun hats down the pub is a a very odd way to behave though. As is the turning Celtic Park into an enclave of Ireland by a largely Scottish population with no connection to Ireland whatsoever other than the team they choose to support.

Hibs are quite right to steer clear.

[CentreLine]

My take is that football, globally, is in the entertainment business and so will use any avenue to promote its wears. Unfortunately, the history of the uk is such that any form of perceived nationalistic celebration has, historically, been viewed with suspicion along political and, even more sadly, sectarian lines.

This found itself reflected in employment and industry. Specifically because of the deep rooted prejudice that manifested itself in the shipyards of Belfast and Glasgow, spread to that other area where society gathered in numbers and in a rather tribal way, football.

I would love to see all clubs able to exploit every avenue to increase revenue, without being seen as anything other than an excuse to party. Sadly, we live in a country with a history of suspicion and historic oppression and some areas are best avoided.

[hibsbollah]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Knowing how hard it can be to come up with social media material, I do think it’s a bit odd that Hibs wouldn’t punt out a post, possibly with pictures of a few of our Irish players over the years in their finest moments alongside a brief mention of what happened in 1875, to “remain engaged” with the fan base. A collage of Horgan scoring against Hearts, Logan performing Hampden heroics and Clancy enjoying some time on the treatment table should do the job.

If nothing else it’s a way to tick a box, to fill some space.

Not sure I’d go reading all that much into it, although it will be interesting to see if we acknowledge metal hat day in May.

I think we all know the inevitable consequences of doing that, and not just on social media. Which goes to show the weird freakish world of anti Irish bigotry that exists in Scotland, and is widely tolerated and in many quarters encouraged.

[H18 SFR]

My wife is Irish and as such the kids are half Irish. She sent them to school dressed in green like they do back home in Ireland on Paddy’s day. Because the kids go to a Roman Catholic school all the kids with Irish families are whipped away by the Head Teacher for a paddy’s day party at lunch time with green cup cakes etc.

The Head does this for other saints days, religious festivals, other ethnicities etc etc.

[stuart-farquhar]

I find the whole business of St Patrick's day an excellent promotion for Ireland, therefore
I ignore it. St Swithin's day however.....

[CentreLine]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I find the whole business of St Patrick's day an excellent promotion for Ireland, therefore
I ignore it. St Swithin's day however.....

Is that you Pancake? 🤣

[One Day]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Hibs are 100% no mini Celtic. The opposite is true. They only exist because of us.

James Stephen’s book about the 2016 Scottish Cup win includes a section about our previous Scottish Cup wins. Turns out that, after a team of Irish Immigrants from Edinburgh won the tournament in 1887, their counterparts in Glasgow invited them through for a party to celebrate their success.

Apparently a conversation ensued about setting up a football team and Hibs recommended they give it a go. The weegies then formed a team in 1888 called Glasgow Celtic.

I’m all for nights out an all, but by god, I really wish our players had stayed home that night !!!

Hadn't heard of this book, have now just bought it of Amazon, for the Kindle, only £4.99, thanks for that.

[DIXIHIBS]

I think most hibs fans accept/embrace our heritage and as others have said we are called Hibernian, wear green, harp on the badge so the club recognise this. However i also think most hibs fans see the whole plastic paddy stuff and darker stuff from Celtic and want nothing to do with that so push back against it. Nowadays i reckon most hibbies have very little connection to Ireland other than hibs so have no more interest in St Pats day than any other football fan. Without opening another debate/arguement i would say the majority of hibs fans see their allegiance to scotland rather than Ireland.

[hibby rae]

I've got an Irish surname, my great grandfather was the one that came here and he's the reason our family are a Hibs one. So in a way I'm as Irish as Hibs are these days because our roots go back the about the same length of time and I couldn't give a s*** about Paddys Day. I'm Scottish with Irish lineage way back when, that's all.

As has been pointed out, here it's just a commercial thing influenced by American culture more than anything else.

[superfurryhibby]

I’m comfortable with the idea of Hibs acknowledging St Patrick’s day. As some have pointed out, it was historically a big day for the Edinburgh Irish community. We needn’t indulge too much, but I would see it as another way of acknowledging our founding fathers. It’s harmless.

[hibstag]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

My wife is Irish and as such the kids are half Irish. She sent them to school dressed in green like they do back home in Ireland on Paddy’s day. Because the kids go to a Roman Catholic school all the kids with Irish families are whipped away by the Head Teacher for a paddy’s day party at lunch time with green cup cakes etc.

The Head does this for other saints days, religious festivals, other ethnicities etc etc.

This is great example of why schools should be non denominational, did they do any Red Nose Day activities? An us and them mentality instilled at an early age…. I hope this isn’t in Edinburgh as it breeches several basic equalities guidelines issued by the local authority for schools

[H18 SFR]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

This is great example of why schools should be non denominational, did they do any Red Nose Day activities? An us and them mentality instilled at an early age…. I hope this isn’t in Edinburgh as it breeches several basic equalities guidelines issued by the local authority for schools

Their school are very proud of their Irish heritage. The school was actually established close to where it currently is because no other school in the area would take Irish children in so the Irish community established their own school in order to educate their children.

We were actually a placement request for this particular school despite living some distance away. Only school in the authority which offer Irish language lessons and GAA coaching.

[The Modfather]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Not looking to start a row with this. Not one of us here want Hibs to be like some mini Celtic, some sort of east of Scotland Celtic, or any sort of try-hard wanna-be Irish organisation. We’re practically all comfortable with Hibs being an modern inclusive club open to all.

but I do find it very interesting, that on a day when clubs up and down Britain with little if any Irish connections apart from maybe the odd player are wishing their supporters a Happy St Patrick’s Day through their social media channels, our club, the one built by Edinburgh’s early Irish community, named after Ireland, that still plays in green in homage to those roots, that carries that heritage in its club badge… can’t even bring themselves to acknowledge the date. Did they forget? Or is it some sort of shame or fear that they might be labelled sectarian or offend somebody.

as you can tell from my username I’m no Christian, so the religious elements of St Patrick’s Day mean nothing to me, nor am I some flag waving zealot for Irish nationalism. I’m not even really a twitter user much so it doesn’t really bother me - I just find Hibs identity endlessly fascinating.

Our name and badge pay tribute to our Irish roots. Tweeting an obligatory happy St Patrick’s day message or not doesn’t tell us anything. We’ve got the balance right, we’re a Scottish club, with an early Irish history, that out name and badge pay tribute to.