After a fairly heavy night of bad weather over Ireland on the Thursday night/ Friday morning our flight out of Glasgow was delayed & with plans already made for tours in Dublin it would be tight to squeeze it all in. A short bumpy flight in heavy winds & quick bus journey to the hotel in the pouring rain & we were ready to start our mini break.
First port of call was the museum & tour at Glasnevin. Home to 1.5 million souls at Ireland biggest cemetery. A stunning city of the dead that tells the story of the struggle for Irish freedom through its many statesman, patriots, poets & heroines. A rousing speech from Padraic Pearse at the grave of O'Donovan Rossa is the start of an enthralling visit. The 90 minute tour only scratches the surface of the rich history of despair, love, hope & freedom.
Our first day was rounded off with a casual stroll through streets of Dublin, walking north & south of the river enjoying a few drinks & the buzz of the city bars.
Our trip to Dublin wasn't all about the sightseeing, we were there to help the boys & girls of the St Margaret Celtic Supporters Club celebrate their 20th anniversary, 20 years of making the trip from Drogheda to Glasgow & much further afield to watch Celtic. With 3 events over 2 days at the City North Hotel planned the organisers were marking their anniversary in style.
Unfortunately, due to timing we were only able to enjoy a small part of the celebrations with Hilly, Andrew Milne & the rest of the club.
With a 12 noon start it was an early rise to get the train to Balbriggan & then on to to the City North Hotel for a special Celtic Am. With Frank McAvennie, Paul Byrne, Bobby Petta, Alan Thompson & John Hartson all there to share stories it was an afternoon we couldn't miss, although we did make a visit to the Milestone on the way.
As a regular at the Celtic Am events at Malones in Glasgow, you are always guaranteed a great pre-match build up with Anrew on the mike. A good mix of guests from ex players, actors & charities there really is something to talk about for everyone, with Celtic at the forefront.
The players opened up to the small crowd & shared stories of their playing days, training sessions & marriage proposals. Macca & Byrne were like a double act trading stories & laughter at some of those painful years as Celtic players during the mid 90s.
Thompson & Petta gave an insight into playing under current Ireland boss Martin O'Neill, with special praise for his back room team John Robertson & Stevie Walford. Big wins over our rivals, late winners & an appreciation of the fans was never far from the agenda.
By the time John Hartson took the Mike the room was buzzing with the arrival of the SPFL trophy and special guest Hilly.
Hartson well known for big goals in big games spoke about those moments & the disappointment of missing his chance to play in the UEFA Cup Final in Seville. The guests held the crowd captive with their stories & memories of playing for Celtic, making sure the reminded Petta that he was the only one of them not to score against our city rivals.
The afternoon wasn't all about the ex Celts sharing stories, we were there to help raise funds for Cancer charities & to support the hospice in Drogheda. Ireland international Gary Kelly donated funds from his testimonial against Celtic to help support & build the hospice and guests were happy to donate to support the work there.
The laughter form the stories shared by the players, Hilly & Andrew faded as John began to speak about his life or death fight against cancer. Open & honest, John left nothing out of his fight to survive. The strength & character shown by John is an example to all of us to check yourself regularly, go to the doctors & appreciate your family, friends & loved ones.
An amazing afternoon came to an end as John Hartson closed the session with an emotional account of being discharged from hospital to recover with his family.
This was no doubt a small taster to the main event later that night, but what a funny, thought provoking uplifting afternoon it was.
