‘Brought The Car Up To Scotland And Had A Brilliant Celtic Day' – Part 1

Bournemouth-based Celtic fan and historian, Liam Kelly was recently up in Scotland house-hunting (with a view to being nearer to Paradise no doubt) and he took the opportunity to visit some iconic Celtic sites.

- LIAM KELLY

Liam wrote up a journal of his latest visit, and over this week and the next two issues of the Celtic View, we catch a unique insight into a very special trip.

AS a Celtic fan living in Bournemouth, my time in Scotland can often be restricted to the airport, pubs and matches. I have been fortunate enough to enjoy a few days out exploring places of Celtic historical interest in the past, though, and on my most recent visit I decided to bring the car up with me, which allowed for a proper day of history before I went home.

The day started with Patsy Gallacher and ended with Jimmy Johnstone. There were other greats in between.

Firstly, one of my friends, John, who shares an enthusiasm for all things Celtic had said that he wanted to visit family members buried in Arkleston Cemetery in Paisley on Friday morning. He told me that Patsy Gallacher was buried there and that as the cemetery is small we would have a good chance of finding his grave.

I agreed to drive there and take a look. From the pictures we had, we noticed that Patsy’s grave had two angels on a cross, which made it quite distinctive. It stuck out almost immediately and John found it.

Known as The Mighty Atom, Patsy Gallacher is regarded by many older Celtic fans as the club’s greatest player of all time. Certainly, he has to be considered as one of the best Celts prior to Jinky and the Lisbon Lions.

Perhaps Jimmy McGrory is the only player who could be placed in the same bracket as him. Indeed, former Celtic chairman, Bob Kelly said of Patsy: “So long as there is a Celtic, the name of Patsy Gallacher will be revered, and his sons and their families can rightly be proud of that.”