The Old Firm Rivarly

You don’t have to be in London long before you start to catch the football bug that plagues so many Europeans. Football isn't just an amusing pastime for these people, it's a way of life that reflects their cultural values. My trip to Scotland last weekend made this especially evident as I witnessed the Old Firm rivalry between the Glasgow Rangers and Celtic F.C. firsthand because a game between the two teams was to take place that Sunday. I found all of this especially interesting because last semester I took an Ethnicity and Internal War class in which I wrote a paper on this rivalry and how it reflected the deeper religous divisions between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. Catholics overwhelmingly side with Celtic while Protestants support Rangers. Their dedication to their teams played a major role in the violence of Northern Ireland throughout the twentieth century and continue to today (although to a lesser degree of violence).

The rift between Celtic and Rangers fans in Belfast, Northern Ireland began in the early twentieth century when The Harland and Wolff Shipbuilding Company (a Protestant company) moved from Belfast to Glasgow. They brought with them a substantial base of Protestant workers who already possessed an ingrained hatred of Catholics. Aside from the change in demographics, sectarian divisions were intensified by the Scottish depression of the 1920s when limited resources resulted in stiff competition for jobs . The Church of Scotland found a scapegoat in the Irish and Old Firm emotions and ensuing violence were taken to a new level.

A devastating effect of this rivalry was the violence that followed it. Violence has also become an especially prevalent component of the Old Firm rivalry in Belfast. In fact, Old Firm match violence occurs in higher numbers and intensity in Northern Ireland than in Glasgow. In Glasgow, most violence is due to drunken thugs who happen to meet. In Belfast, violence arises in the areas that separate the Catholic and Protestant areas. Instances of violence include car burnings, stabbings, gunshots, Protestant marching riots, and Catholics shooting fireworks at police.

Both Rangers and Celtic fans draw on historical hatred to show their support for their teams today. Rangers fans traditionally don orange shirts and wave orange banners in proud remembrance of King Billy’s victory and expulsion of the Catholic monarchy in 1688. Cheers such as “Hello, hello we are the Billy Boys,” “We are up to our knees in Fenian blood,” and “*uck the pope” reflect these historical and religious undertones. Celtic fans, on the other hand, cite traditional Celtic song reflects this with the lyrics “Say hello to the Provos, say hello to the brave, say hello to the Provos, and Ireland shall be saved." Another Celtic song summons the historical aspect of the rivalry with, “T’was long ago we faced the foe, the Old Brigade and me. And by my side, they fought and died that Ireland might be free." This rhetoric very closely mirrors that found throughout Northern Ireland in the twentieth century between Catholics and Protestants.

The fact that both of these teams have strong links to violent groups in Northern Ireland is also a cause for concern and contention. Rangers possess close ties to the Ulster Volunteer Force and Ulster Defense Association while Celtic is certainly no stranger to the IRA. Indeed the loyalties of Rangers and Celtic fans does not stay on the football pitch, but instead manifests itself in a very real and violent way in Northern Ireland today.

Source: How Soccer Explains the World by Eric Foer