Derry City will face Shamrock Rovers at Celtic Park this week. That name is of course well-known to Celtic fans, and has brought about a forgotten link involving the Hoops.
Celtic played at a GAA ground in pre-season when they faced Cork City and Celtic Park is where Derry’s GAA sides play their fixtures.
The League of Ireland game will be the first time football, not the GAA version, has been played at the stadium in 80 years, but Glasgow Celtic’s one and only appearance was over 130 years ago.
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The name Celtic Park was born from football, not the GAA
The ground’s name predates its GAA status, as it was originally named after Derry Celtic, an association football club.
That origin places football at the centre of the venue’s identity, with the GAA’s later control reflecting a shift in use rather than its foundation.
Direct links to Glasgow Celtic are part of the ground’s history
Derry Celtic were not an isolated club, they had links to Glasgow Celtic and Belfast Celtic, placing the ground within a wider football network.
That connection is reinforced by the fact Glasgow Celtic played at the ground in 1896, in what remains the highest-profile football match ever staged at the venue.
The visiting side arrived in Derry to significant attention and faced a local team that had adopted the Celtic identity, but there is little known about the actual result of the game.
Derry Celtic have since disbanded and no longer exist, while the Bhoys have come over to Ireland many times since then to play in games.
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