Where to find the best Celtic bars

The creator of celticbars.com
pens his first book

From Bing to the Sopranos, every Celtic Supporters Club has a song to sing

From Paisley to Papua New Guinea, the Barras to the Bronx, Celtic Supporters Clubs (CSCs) are woven into the fabric of football culture around the world. From pub gatherings to European capers, CSCs provide a home-from-home for the travelling Celt.

Shortly before the club’s epic journey to Seville for the UEFA Cup final of 2003, lifelong fan Davy McIntyre created celticbars.com, a painstakingly researched resource, currently listing more than 1,000 current and disbanded CSCs across the globe.

Now Davy has published his first book on the subject, Football Without Fans: The History of Celtic Supporters Clubs, sharing the wealth of stories generated by fans as they follow the Bhoys around the world.

On the eve of another Old Firm clash in Glasgow on January 2, Libero sits down with Davy to talk about his passion project and his memories of half a century of watching Celtic from Boghead to barstools across Europe.

Kölsch, cathedrals and Celtic: Kolner Brigade, Cologne

Libero: When did you started following Celtic?

Davy McIntyre: My Dad was from Glasgow and supported Rangers. We were brought up in Dumbarton, surrounded by my mother’s Celtic-supporting family. My Grandad, Jock, was one of the many who walked from Dumbarton to Cardenden for the funeral of John Thomson in 1931.

My first ever game was Dumbarton v Celtic at the old Boghead in 1972. The team was Connaghan, McGrain, Brogan, McCluskey, Connelly, Hay, Hood, Dalglish, Deans (Jimmy Johnstone), Murdoch, Macari. Celtic won 6-1.

One of my earliest Celtic memories was my Dad taking my brother Jim to Hampden in 1970 for the Celtic v Dumbarton League Cup semi final. I never got to go because I was too wee. It ended in a draw but I was still too wee for the replay.

Memories are made of this: Seven goals and a 5p programme at Boghead

Libero: There are hundreds of bars and clubs in your book and on your website. Why do you think that Celtic inspire this kind of following?

DM: I have 601 CSCs on my website from all over the world. When I wrote my book, it was the first time that so many CSC histories had been collated and arranged for all to read. This was never going to be a quick project, eventually taking 19 months to complete. I wanted the clubs to contact their older members and get their stories before sending me their entry for inclusion.

I also encouraged CSCs to send me photos of their heirlooms, from old minutes of meetings, team groups and handbooks. From these histories, there were some common themes: the pride of belonging to a shared cause, the charity work, the old pubs, the European capers, the characters and the humour.

Some clubs have several generations of families who have been members and share memories of those no longer with us. A few clubs have changed their name to honour their friends who have died.

Canny Celtic supporters: North East Shamrock CSC

These clubs would be nothing if it wasn’t for the dedicated committees over the years, who give up so much of their own time to ensure the smooth running of the supporters’ bus, for example. It’s not always the easiest job in the world, but the respect they get from the rank and file is testament to their efforts. Another reason for their popularity, especially abroad, is the ex-pats who join to meet fellow supporters. This may help them settle if they are new in town. 

Libero: When you set out on this project, did you ever think that there would be so many places?

DM: I created celticbars.com in 2001 and started to collate the bars. I had a directory from 1998 which gave me something to go on. Once my website went live, the response was fantastic as there was nothing similar online. I was inundated at first with all sorts of bars being sent to me. I wasn’t just looking for Irish pubs but bars with a Celtic connection. I’m proud to say it is one of the oldest Celtic websites. 

My book Football Without Fans: The History of Celtic Supporters Clubs came about after a madcap idea coming back from a game. I’m in contact with all the CSCs so that gave me a head start. As someone who has never written a book before, I have been really pleased with the response and feedback.

Football Without Fans: The History of Celtic Supporters Clubs

The Bhoys from The Celtic Star were a great help throughout the process – they’re very professional with all their books. A game changer was when I spoke to Liam Kelly and he advised me to subscribe to the UK newspaper archives. 

I loved reading all about our Celtic forefathers and what they got up to. I was sent hundreds of old clippings from The Celtic View from a guy called John Smith. It was a pleasure to read all the histories from the nearly 500 CSCs who got back to me.

Every club has a story to tell. In 1948, Bellshill & District CSC tried to hire the world’s biggest singing star at the time for their end-of-season dance. Unfortunately, Bing Crosby wanted £7,000 for his appearance, so they got a local to do it for a guinea. 

A member of Greenock Shamrock CSC once came back on the bus after a game with an Alsatian dog he had stolen off a policeman. The North American CSC who had a ‘whip roon’ for the driver, which just happened to be on a plane where the treasurer went to the cockpit to give it to the pilot…

Gone but not forgotten: The Three Roses, Gibraltar

A member of Sarsfield CSC played himself in the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film adaptation of John Buchan’s The 39 Steps. The Sopranos was filmed on the premises of Kearny CSC in New Jersey. A member of Alicante CSC is the godson of Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien. The stories are endless. The late great David Potter once told me, ‘You can never have enough Celtic stories’.

Libero: Of all the bars you feature, which are your favourites and why?

DM: A favourite Celtic bar of mine was the Three Roses in Gibraltar, which was also known as the Scottish Embassy. I worked in Gibraltar for four months and basically lived in the pub. Unfortunately, it was also a bit of a jinx. I was in there when we lost the league just after Seville and also for so-called Helicopter Sunday. The place is now closed.

Another favourite was Gallaghers Bar in Inverkeithing. I got to know the family well and have very fond memories of my time in there. I love a visit to the Dumbarton Harp Social Club any time I go back up the road for a few days. It’s great catching up with all my Dumbarton friends. 

A far cry from Celtic Park: Cayman Islands CSC

Pre-match, I’ve propped the bar up in The Oak on Springfield Road for years and more recently have been frequenting The Chrystal Bell. We tend to get a table and it’s not as chaotic as the bars nearer the stadium. Getting aulder, the seat is very welcome. 

Libero: Which are the most unusual – either in terms of location or decoration?

DM: I once got a request which said, ‘A bit of a long shot, but do you have a bar in Papua New Guinea?

Yes’ came the reply, ‘Try this bar’. The guy was gobsmacked to hear about the Original Jungle Bhoys. 

The Hawaii CSC was started by a fellow Dumbarton Bhoy who once lived in the same housing scheme as me. Last year, the Cayman Islands CSC was founded and I love seeing their pre- and post-match photos. 

Football Without Fans: The History of Celtic Supporters Clubs available on Amazon.