Paradise Lost & Found

**Quack** · 25/04/2004, 10:05 PM

Have been reading Padraig Coyle's Belfast Celtic history, thoroughly good read, very interesting and enjoyable, as well as sobering to realise the extent of the sectarian hatred involved in Belfast sporting life at the time. Lots of interesting nuggets - Tommy Best, the first black player with any Irish team, played for the Celts in the 40s, they were the first Irish team to go to a European tour in 1912 (to Bohemia), Winston Churchill spoke at Celtic Park in 1912 as a campaign in favour of the Home Rule Bill of the time (the BC secretary Bob Barr named one of his sons Winston in response!) - also how soccer was seen as a healthier alternative to the IRB-linked GAA by many Catholic bishops....

Any thoughts/opinions/critiques? Obviously its a little on "the nationalist side", although I don't think its deformed by this as a work of history, I'd be interested to read dissenting (in every sense!) views...

**Quack** · 25/04/2004, 10:23 PM

Sure, the full title is "Paradise Lost & Found: The Story of Belfast Celtic" by Padraig Coyle, published by Mainstream Sport Publishing.

Amazon.co.uk link

**liam88** · 26/04/2004, 6:05 AM

Deffinatley something worth spending my allowance on

I've always loved the memories people have of Belfast Celtic and just wish I had been around to see them play.
I hope they will reform in the future.

**sylvo** · 26/04/2004, 1:29 PM

Originally Posted by davros

Seems,dare I say to have 'something for everyone'....perhaps you can put down the exact book details as,per chance,not widely available...

Both meself and Lopez have copy's of the book will lend it to yer when we get back, stuck @ airport @ the mo drinking stella, see yer in Warsaw tomorrow night.Make sure the one in the Boston Celtic's jacket get's on the right plane this time.

**Alexa** · 09/05/2004, 2:52 PM

Originally Posted by Quack

Have been reading Padraig Coyle's Belfast Celtic history, thoroughly good read, very interesting and enjoyable, as well as sobering to realise the extent of the sectarian hatred involved in Belfast sporting life at the time. Lots of interesting nuggets - Tommy Best, the first black player with any Irish team, played for the Celts in the 40s, they were the first Irish team to go to a European tour in 1912 (to Bohemia), Winston Churchill spoke at Celtic Park in 1912 as a campaign in favour of the Home Rule Bill of the time (the BC secretary Bob Barr named one of his sons Winston in response!) - also how soccer was seen as a healthier alternative to the IRB-linked GAA by many Catholic bishops....

Any thoughts/opinions/critiques? Obviously its a little on "the nationalist side", although I don't think its deformed by this as a work of history, I'd be interested to read dissenting (in every sense!) views...

A former player of my team (Dundela FC), George Stirling, played for both Belfast Celtic and Dundalk in the 1940s b4 signing for Dundela around 1947 (I think).
Anyone care to share a bit of light on this old Duns' stalwart who passed away recently.
May B some older BC or Dundalk fans/historians could share any knowledge here about this?

**liam88** · 20/05/2004, 8:31 PM

http://www.lyrictheatre.co.uk/site/w...n/paradise.htm

looks grand!

**Lossie Glens** · 08/07/2004, 4:23 PM

I bought this book a few years ago, as like my people my age I had only heard about Belfast Celtic and I wasn't entirely sure about what happened to them. Great book and very well written, if anyone is in any doubt about Scumfield's negative/secterian influence in Northern Irish football and the IFA they should read this and see the truth. They should have left Irish league football and not Celtic. Celtic were a great footballing side and had the probably the third best Irish footballer ever to play for them in Charlie Tully (I'm biased towards East Belfast George Best and Danny Blanchflower were better) All true Irish football fans should give it a look. Le jeu avant tout, the game before all!