Celtic in IRA songs row

From evening times and was on BBC Scotlands news.



Celtic fans reacted with fury today after the head of a club shareholders' group defended singing IRA songs at Parkhead.
Dr Jeanette Findlay, chairwoman of the Celtic Trust, said songs about the IRA were "songs from a war of independence going back over a hundred years".
But her comments, during a BBC radio interview, sparked an immediate response.
Celtic fans bombarded the show with angry texts, and some members said they would quit the Trust.
One said: "Her answers made me cringe. Please tell the rest of the UK that not all Celtic fans are blinkered Irish nationalists, and that some of us are football fans."
Another texted: "Her one-eyed hyprocritical views are disturbing and a ludicrously perverted take on history. She doesn't represent the majority of opinion of Irish nationalist Celtic fans."
Jim Divers, of Celtic Supporters Association, said the association opposed any offensive add-ons to chants. He added: "We will continue to support the club's many on-going anti-sectarianism initiatives, which are backed by the vast majority of supporters."
Dr Findlay spoke out during an interview with Nicky Campbell about the Trust's opposition to the appointment of John Reid as Celtic FC's new chairman.
The Trust opposed the appointment of the former Cabinet Minister because of his role in the Iraq War.
Mr Campbell said that people who had relatives murdered by the IRA might find songs about the organisation as offensive as Dr Findlay found Dr Reid's appointment.
She replied: "I'm sure the parents of Peter McBride, murdered by two British soldiers who were then reinstated under John Reid's watch, will also find that offensive. There's deaths on both sides."
A spokesman for Celtic FC said: "There are around 27, 500 Celtic shareholders .
"We believe that Ms. Findlay claims to speak for only around 200 of these, a very very small minority, as yesterday's 99.1% vote in favour of Dr. Reid's appointment as Chairman clearly underlines.
"These comments are totally unrepresentative of the Celtic support and we are delighted with the way in which our fans currently support the team."

 

good cos things like that just a total embarrasment dont these people know things like that are just going to make us look bad?

 

being an old jungle bhoy i mind the days when it was a good few jars and then on to celtic park for a right good sing song.however these days are gone and back there they should remain,celtic as a football club and a business have moved on and so have the vast majority of the fans.as far as i am concerned this person has dragged us down to the level of the huns.shame on you.

 

love the songs

 

what an embarrassment. SACK THAT COW!!!!

btw whats a woman doing on the radio when she should be getting the dinner on anyway??

 

I say we bomb her.

 

simple fact is the songs are divisive in Britain. Maybe not back in Ireland but certainly in Britain, especially Scotland. Same with orange songs. They are sectarian in the true meaning of the word. The woman is daft. Any song is fine if most within earshot dont mind them but that is not the case with these songs.

 

my adviser for studies at glasgow uni i think...

 

Her husband Donald was not available for comment.

 

Seen her on the news, * moron, duelling banjo stuff!

 

Correct me if am wrong, am not 100% sure but is that not the woman that goes to the agm every year and nit picks at the simplest things.

Then you dont hear from her in months??

 

Yup that's the idiot alright.." a war of independence going back over a hundred years" History not your strongpoint Findlay

To be fair tho,Edgar and the RST never get held to account for the awful * they come out.It would have been fine if they were personal views but she,a non-elected spokesperson claiming to be representative of Celtic fans is on national radio coming out with this.She has absolutely no mandate and obviously no media savvy cause it was set up from start to finish.Talk about giving people a stick to beat ye with

 

Jesus true love does conquer all

 

All good music has an edge to it. From the birth of rock to punk and onto hip hop. If every song sung at football games have to be about country side scenes and the colour of the teams strip then we might as well * off to the merry land of Oz! Oh Father why.....

 

r u so sad !!!

i think since the old republican songs stopped at the games the atmosphere is crap ???

 

Maybe, but they've gone never to return.

 

Very well put, If I may say so. There's nothing like a good rebel sing song in the appropriate company. "It was on a dreary....."

 

It's not that simple mate. The atmosphere at CL games is superb and I think the lack of atmosphere is to do with the Old Firm winning most of their games. If the competition was tougher, and games were on a knife edge, then you'd get plenty of noise.

Can we not just sing OTHER songs loudly ?

 

We can sing other songs loudly, the only problem is that WE are outnumbered by the bams who choose not to sing. Nothing to do with the choice of songs. If the 'fans' used the voices that they have then it would be * great but most turn up and want to be entertained instead of trying to create an atmosphere. And honestly that is not how a Celtic supporter should act in my opinion. * sake what's wrong with just belting out CELTIC, CELTIC, CELTIC, CELTIC at the top of our voices once in a while, a full 60,000 of us. * disgrace you half assed fans, do my * head right in. Why jump on the Celtic bandwagon eh?