Celtic vs Irish Free State XI: The Highest Paid Football Experts in the World

On 23.02.24 a warmly received Glasgow Celtic played a hastily arranged friendly against an Irish Free State XI in Dublin. Celtic won 3-0. There was a 20,000 crowd that spilled onto the pitch and perched on the roofs of stands.  

The match was a fundraiser to help send an Irish Free State team to that summer's Olympics. Takings were £1,200, which , after tax, expenses and  paying for the ground left £400 for the fund. 

Acknowledging the efforts of the outplayed home team, the Dublin Evening Telegraph stated 'They were opposed by what probably the best football on earth, the highest paid football experts in the world'. 

Irish Free State FA		Celtic
W. O’Hagan (Fordsons)	G	C. Shaw
P. Kavanagh (Shelbourne)	FB	A. McNair
J. McCarthy (Bohemians)	FB	H Hilley
E. McKay (St. James’s Gate)	HB	H. P. Wilson
V. Harris (Shelbourne)	HB	J. McStay
M. Foley (Shelbourne)	HB	J. McFarlane
J. Simpson (Shelbourne)	F	A. McAtee
A. Kirkland (Shamrock Rovers)	F	P. Gallacher
Dr. O’Flaherty (University College)	F	J. Cassidy
J. Dowdall (St. James’s Gate)	F	A. Thompson
J. Fagan (Shamrock Rovers)	F	A. McLean

Goals were scored by Thomson, McAtee and Cassidy (all Scotland internationalists).

The Celtic line up featured Irish international Patsy Gallacher, who would later represent the Free State.

There was talk of another Celtic visit to Ireland in May, when Croke Park was proposed as a (much larger) venue, but this never took place. 

Andy McAtee

Alec 'EverReady' Thomson 

'Trooper' Joe Cassidy

2 games in a day...

The Scottish League continued in a revised form during the 1914-18 war.
On the afternoon of April 15th 1916, Celtic beat Raith Rovers 6-0 at Celtic Park. 
Meanwhile at Fir Park Motherwell drew 1-1 with Ayr United.
That evening a second game was played at Fir Park. This time Celtic were the visitors, and they beat Motherwell 3-1.
Celtic thus secured a record 13th league Championship and in doing so set the record for most goals scored in a season. Their record was:

P	W	D	L	F	A	pts
38	32	3	3	116	32	67

The press commended Celtic for the way in which they had been prepared to play the re arranged Motherwell fixture rather than exploit the commercial potential of extending the season. They were also praised for having avoided midweek fixtures that could have had a negative effect on the war effort by causing absenteeism from industries. 

The Celtic team that turned out in the evening match had only one change from the afternoon game -Joe O’Kane, who had scored 2 against Raith Rovers, gave way to Trooper Joe Cassidy, who had missed the Raith game having arrived late from Perth barracks where he was serving in the army. The other ten were: 

Charlie Shaw, Alec McNair, Tom McGregor, Sunny Jim Young, Joe Dodds, Johnny McMaster, Andy McAtee, Patsy Gallacher, Jimmy McMenemy and Johnny Browning.

Motherwell themselves made only 3 changes. The attendance at the evening game was 10,000. equaling Celtics afternoon gate but doubling Motherwell's. 

Cassidy

At the time of the 2 games in a day Celtic were on a 62-game unbeaten run that extended from 13.11.15 until 21.04.17.