
LIV CEO: League has backing to finish '26 season
LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil assures financial backing for the 2026 season amid funding concerns.
Today marks the 111th anniversary of Brother Walfrid's passing on April 17, 1915, in Dumfries at age 74. He founded Celtic FC in 1887, envisioning a football club that welcomed everyone.
Mentioned in this story
111th anniversary of the passing of Brother Walfrid
It was on this day 111 years ago on April 17, 1915, that the founding father of Celtic, Brother Walfrid passed away in Dumfries at the age of 74.
It was 28 years earlier amid the poverty, neglect and intolerance of Victorian Glasgow, that Brother Walfrid had a dream. His dream became a reality on November 6, 1887, and had flourished, and now 139 years later, countless thousands share his vision of a football club that opens its doors to all.
He was born Andrew Kerins in Ballymote Co, Sligo on May 18, 1840, and ventured on the divine path by taking up the oath of the Marist Brotherhood...
And as thousands of Irish took flight from the deprivation in their homeland by sailing to Glasgow, Brother Walfrid was assigned to Sacred Heart School in the city's East End to cater for their spiritual and educational needs.
He had already taught at nearby St Mary's before moving to Sacred Heart in 1874 but by the time he had moved to London's Spitalfields in 1892, the first buds of his vision had started to unfold.
The immigrants from Ireland soon realised that the streets of Glasgow were not paved with gold and not for the first time in Scottish history the ogre that is religious intolerance raised its ugly head.
Walfrid therefore had two main aims; feeding the newcomers who were finding employment difficult to attain AND integrate them into the mainstream of Scottish life where two religions were increasingly at loggerheads with each other.
Feeding the poor was a problem with a relatively straightforward answer - a charity drive. Knocking down the walls of religious intolerance, however, was a rather thornier issue and one that was to present pitfalls on both sides of the divide.
Brother Walfrid, born Andrew Kerins, founded Celtic FC in 1887 to create a football club that embraced inclusivity and community support.
Brother Walfrid passed away on April 17, 1915, marking the 111th anniversary of his death today.
His vision was to establish a football club that opened its doors to all, promoting inclusivity and community spirit in Glasgow.
Brother Walfrid died in Dumfries, Scotland, at the age of 74.

LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil assures financial backing for the 2026 season amid funding concerns.

Guardiola warns title race ends if City loses to Arsenal this weekend
AFC South scout predicts Jets will select Arvell Reese at No. 2 in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Don't miss these 5 players to watch in today's GT vs KKR IPL 2026 match!
Carrick updates on player fitness and suspensions before Chelsea match

Meet Dillon Brooks: The NBA's biggest antagonist beloved by teammates
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
His idea to raise money was to enter the embryonic world of football by forming a club that would attract paying customers and either by accident or design, the new club was utilised to alleviate the other dilemma.
Although formed to raise money for the needy of the East End who were mainly Catholic and Irish, the new club would be neither exclusively Catholic nor Irish.
Many Irish clubs had emerged in the 1880s and their names instantly signified their origin - Hibernian, Shamrock, Emmett, Harp, Erin, Emerald - but Walfrid was keen to build an ecumenical and cultural bridge between Ireland and Scotland so the most likely name, Hibernian, was dropped.
He had earlier established a minor football club named Columba and he was intent on using something similarly meaningful to both Scots and Irish.
Thus, Celtic Football Club was born kicking and screaming into uncertain surroundings both in the football and cultural senses.
The name Celtic was intrinsic to the values and aims of the club in establishing an unquantifiable link between the indigenous Scots and the newcomers whose descendants would be born Scottish.
Since then, the club has always opened its doors to one and all no matter the faith or colour, creed or race. That has always been the case since its foundation and that will always continue to be the case.
One man's vision and a meeting at St Mary's Hall just off Abercromby Street 139 years ago, on November 6, 1887 grew far beyond the cobbled streets of the Calton and now, thanks to Brother Walfrid and those who followed in his wake, that dream lives on in the hearts of Celtic supporters of every faith and colour, creed and race on every corner of the globe…