BREAKING NEWS;Celtics vs Hibernian friendlies kick-off match has been rescheduled due to

Celtic have a connected yet complicated history with Hibernian. Some fans have a soft spot for one another, but these are few in number. The more common feeling is one of indifference or dislike between the clubs these days. Certainly, both sets of supporters will be hoping for nothing less than three points next Monday evening!

The first point of contention surrounds Celtic’s founding. The accusation has often been that Celtic simply copied Hibernian, having been encouraged to do so after the Hibee’s Scottish Cup triumph in early 1887. A jubilant reception was held in St Mary’s Church Hall in the Calton that day, and various quotes are reported to have been said by John McFadden (Hibs Secretary) and Dr John Conway (one of Celtic’s founding fathers). These quotes were to the effect of McFadden encouraging those in attendance to “go and do likewise” (establish a football club for the Irish community in Glasgow), with Conway speaking very keenly of the idea “not only for social but for political matters as well, so that the goal of every Irishman’s ambition – legislative independence of his country – will soon be attained.”

The success of Hibernian, and that occasion at St Mary’s, certainly played a major role in the emergence of Celtic Football Club later that year. The gauntlet had been laid down by McFadden, however, other factors cannot be forgotten.

Brother Walfrid and Brother Dorotheus had already been hosting charitable football matches to support the Penny Dinner Scheme, which they operated within The Poor Children’s Dinner and Breakfast Tables (at St Mary’s and Sacred Heart schools). A mark of the problematic overgrowth of the scheme was that Sacred Heart provided 48,500 dinners and 1,150 breakfasts in its debut year. Added to this huge level of service was the fact that the school capacity had quadrupled and was to educate over 1,200 pupils for the school year of 1886.