Sectarian violence and the beautiful game : the parallel histories of the Irish Troubles and the Old Firm

Formed in 1873 and 1887 respectively, the histories of Scottish football titans Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic have been notoriously intertwined with the history of the peoples across the Irish Sea. As win totals grew for each club, so too did the number of individuals imposing religious affiliations on the clubs, heightening tensions between the clubs and their fans. The Easter Rising in 1916 and the subsequent creation of the Irish Free State furthered the rift between Protestants and Catholics not only in Ireland but across all of Britain. The religious impositions of the Old Firm rivalry between Celtic and Rangers took on new meaning as the Scottish clubs flew the Irish Tricolour and Union Jack at their grounds in Glasgow, embracing this identity as a part of their heritage. Throughout the Twentieth Century, the Old Firm rivalry has reflected the tensions in Belfast and Derry and as such can be considered a proxy-war of sorts for the Irish Troubles. In order to support this conclusion, I give the brief parallel histories of the Irish Troubles and the Old Firm, focusing on the moments where the histories are intertwined and the consequences of those moments.Thesis (B.?.)Honors Colleg