RTE Prime time last night

Alex Stevenson according to a history of the Irish soccer team I read, was a Protestant. He holds the record for for the longest gap between caps for the Ireland (Eire) while choosing to play for (Northern) Ireland instead. Both national teams called themselves 'Ireland' in those days. The book refers to the fact that he may have been reluctant to play for the 'south' because of his Protestantism.

I think he played for 'Eire' against Holland while he was with Rangers in 1932 although for some mysterious reason, his club side is listed as Dolphin. A Catholic from Waterford, Davy Walsh played for Linfield in the 1940's.

Alex Craig may have been a Protestant by the sound of his lowland Scottish surname. McAuley is an Irish Gaelic surname so maybe he was a Catholic. When did they play for Rangers?

About the booing of Rangers players, I think it is the "Johnny-come-latelys' from Dublin who are the worst. The traditional Celtic supporting fans from the North West of Ireland aren't as bigoted.

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Originally posted by Paddy Ramone
About the booing of Rangers players, I think it is the "Johnny-come-latelys' from Dublin who are the worst. The traditional Celtic supporting fans from the North West of Ireland aren't as bigoted.

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Maybe you right but don't think you can be just a bit bigoted & think things ok. Bit like being a bit racist?

What I meant to say that that not as many of the traditional Celtic fans are bigots. They support Celtic mostly because they have genuine connections with Scotland, coming from places like Donegal and Mayo.

I think some of the Dublin fans who have recently adopted Celtic are the worst for bigotry. They seem to be only into the religious and political side of supporting Celtic.

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They support Celtic mostly because they have genuine connections with Scotland, coming from places like Donegal and Mayo.

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Don't forget Sligo. Brother Wilfrid (Think that’s how you spell it) came from Ballymote Co. Sligo one of the main men who set up Celtic
Didn't see the program but I was told there was a Rangers fan with a UDA scarf. SCUMBAG

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Originally posted by gspain

I'd love to see an Irish player play for Rangers. It might shut up some of the bigots although if some of the muppets booed one of our own platyers I'd feel like throwing them off the stand.

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Do you think Rangers would sign an Irish player?

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Originally posted by Paddy Ramone
Alex Stevenson according to a history of the Irish soccer team I read, was a Protestant. He holds the record for for the longest gap between caps for the Ireland (Eire) while choosing to play for (Northern) Ireland instead. Both national teams called themselves 'Ireland' in those days. The book refers to the fact that he may have been reluctant to play for the 'south' because of his Protestantism.

I think he played for 'Eire' against Holland while he was with Rangers in 1932 although for some mysterious reason, his club side is listed as Dolphin. A Catholic from Waterford, Davy Walsh played for Linfield in the 1940's.

Alex Craig may have been a Protestant by the sound of his lowland Scottish surname. McAuley is an Irish Gaelic surname so maybe he was a Catholic. When did they play for Rangers?

About the booing of Rangers players, I think it is the "Johnny-come-latelys' from Dublin who are the worst. The traditional Celtic supporting fans from the North West of Ireland aren't as bigoted.

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Agree that the booing and bigotry comes from the fans who have just discovered Celtic by and large. Donegal and the north west have always supported Celtic ahead of Man Utd, Liverpool et al.

Alex Stevenson was not capped for what was then the Irish Free state while at Ibrox. He was only there for one season before mooving to Everton. He was transferred from Dolphin and Rangers played a friendly v Dolphin in Dalyer in 1933 as part of the transfer.

I can check the records and did some work before and discovered that many southern players had gaps between caps while playing for NI. Jimmy Dunne springs to mind. However this may have been down to the release of players from English clubs and this was less of a problem for NI who only played in the Home Championship at the time.

I doubt if religion was an issue at the time. Plenty of protestants have played for us and football would still have been seen as a garrison and protestant game at the time (it still is to some bigots). A protestant even won an All Ireland gaelic medal in 1933.

Linfield had plenty of Catholic players prior to 1950. They didn't have any from 1950-1988 and almost certainly operated a sectarian policy. Davy Walsh as you say was a Catholic player.

Alex Craig played back in the 2nd decade of the 1900s he played over 200 times for Rangers. James Lowry McAuley played only once back around the same time I think from memory.

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Originally posted by gspain


Alex Stevenson was not capped for what was then the Irish Free state while at Ibrox. He was only there for one season before mooving to Everton. He was transferred from Dolphin and Rangers played a friendly v Dolphin in Dalyer in 1933 as part of the transfer.

I doubt if religion was an issue at the time. Plenty of protestants have played for us and football would still have been seen as a garrison and protestant game at the time (it still is to some bigots). A protestant even won an All Ireland gaelic medal in 1933.

Linfield had plenty of Catholic players prior to 1950. They didn't have any from 1950-1988 and almost certainly operated a sectarian policy. Davy Walsh as you say was a Catholic player.

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According to a history of an Irish international football, I have Alex Stevenson was discovered by Rangers' coach Arthur Dixon playing junior football with the Dolphin club in Dublin before he signrd for the Ibrox Club in 1931. Played for Rangers from 1931 to 1934 before moving to Everton.

But a history of the FAI says that he was capped for Irish Free State in 1932 against Holland in Amsterdam but lists him as a Dolphin player.

Davy Walsh, a Catholic played from Waterford played for Linfield from 1943 to 1946 before he moved to WBA in July 1946 but was capped for Ireland against Portugal in Lisbon on June 16th 1946 but is listed as a WBA player! Why?

I think Stevenson might have been reluctant to play for the Irish Free State at this time because De Valera (a rugbyman, went to Blackrock) had just been elected to government at this time and was regularly seen in attendance at Dalymount Park. Oscar Traynor, a veteran of the 1916 rising was elected president of the FAI. Maybe Stevenson didn't like the Republican influence that was making it's presence felt in Southern soccer.

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Originally posted by Lionel Hutz
Do you think Rangers would sign an Irish player?

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Protestant Irish international Alan Maybury was a Rangers fan as a young lad.

He had a trial with Rangers when he was 14 and met Walter Smith a couple of times and could have signed for them but didn't.

Paddy sounds like your book is a bit flakey - which one is it?

I'm going on memory but I'm pretty sure Stevenson only left Dolphin (a league of Ireland club until 1937) in 1933.

We had Davy Walsh in Limerick for a season or 2 before going up north. Last I heard he was a wealthy hotelier in Devon. He was one of many Catholics to play for Linfield prior to 1950

There are two books. They are "Irish International Football" by Steven McGarrigle and "75 Years of the FAI" by Peter Byrne.

McGarrigle says Stevenson played for Rangers from 1931 to 1934. But Byrne's book says he was capped by the Irish Free State in 1932 while playing with Dolphin!

About Walsh, McGarrigle says that he played for Linfield from 1943 to July 1946 but Byrne contradicts him by saying that he was capped by the Irish Free State while playing with West Bromwich Albion on June 16th 1946.

What's going on? Is there a cover-up that players have represented the Republic of Ireland while playing for Rangers and Linfield?

I know and have the Byrne book and know the stats on that are really accurate - I know the guy that did it and helped with a few queries - no conspriacy theories or need for cover ups etc - why would there be? Walsh may be an error - he won the Cup with Linfield in 46 and did play for West Brom in 46/7.

I don't know McGarrigle's book but books on Irish football are riddled with errors - Paul Rowan's springs to mind.

From memory I'm certain the Stevenson transfer happened in 1933 - I've seen the Dolphin v Rangers programme from that year as part of the transfer. I'm also certain he only played one season with Rangers so the McGarrigle book is probably wrong.

for 33/4 season we only played the 2 WC qualifiers (I don't think we played any game sin 33 certainly no home games in 32 & 33).
There were issues getting release of any British based players for those qualifiers so we had a weaker side in Amsterdam than stuffed the Dutch 2 years earlier.

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Originally posted by Paddy Ramone
Protestant Irish international Alan Maybury was a Rangers fan as a young lad.

He had a trial with Rangers when he was 14 and met Walter Smith a couple of times and could have signed for them but didn't.

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Is this post trying to prove that Rangers dont have a secterian signing policy or something, Im confused?

Just that a Republic of Ireland international could have signed for Rangers.

No one is denying that Rangers had a sectarian policy. It was introduced around 1912, the time that Harland and Wolff set up operations in Govan in Glasgow and kept until the 1980's.

A South African Catholic Don Kirchenbrand signed for them in the 1950's without revealing his religion.

Off topic a bit I know but:

I was living in Glasgow when they signed Maurice Johnstone (there first public signing of a Catholic in my life time). Love or loathe Souness and Murry - at least they stood up and overturned the policy in public. It was one of the strangest days I've ever seen. The Sun broke the story so, naturally, nobody believed it at first. As they day wore on more and more people became, quite literally shell-shocked. I don't know which set of fans were more upset by the signing.

It just went to show how sad and mixed up the OF fans really were/are...

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Originally posted by Lionel Hutz
Is this post trying to prove that Rangers dont have a secterian signing policy or something, Im confused?

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I couldn't care less about Rangers. It is discussing whether we ever operated sectarian policies. I firmly believe we didn't as in the F.A.I. or the people who run/ran football here.

Otherwise just trying to get some historical facts correct.

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Originally posted by gspain


I doubt if religion was an issue at the time. Plenty of protestants have played for us and football would still have been seen as a garrison and protestant game at the time (it still is to some bigots). A protestant even won an All Ireland gaelic medal in 1933.

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Football has been popular with Irish Nationalists since the 1890's at least. The Catholic Church condemned Parnell who was supported by the GAA at time. Many Catholics defected from GAA to soccer around this time.

The Irish Republican, Brendan Behan played the association code. Oscar Traynor, veteran of the 1916 rising was president of the FAI also around this time and De Valera was regularly seen supporting Ireland at Dalymount Park.

So to say that Irish Association Football was a Protestant and garrison game in the 1930's would be inaccurate. How do you explain the setting up of the the FAI in 1921 which was clearly a Nationalist move?

Paddy, I'm saying football was played by everyone at the time. It was played by protestants and catholics. It is also a classless game.

My whole point is that it wasn't sectarian.

Some bigots still refer to football as a garrison protestant game. That was my point.

I agree with you. The GAA's ban on foreign games never made much sense to me anyway.

Most people in Dublin, even those with strong Republican views have always preferred soccer and only played Gaelic games because the Christian Brothers forced them to.

I think the support for the ban on foreign games in the GAA, was mostly in rural areas.