Paradise Lost and Found: Story of Belfast Celtic Book

Belfast Celtic's last competitive game was played on the April 21, 1949. After the final whistle, the most successful club in the history of Irish football sold its best players, withdrew from all competition and volunteered itself for oblivion. Padraig Coyle's Paradise Lost & Found explores the mystery that still surrounds the closure of Belfast Celtic and reviews the history of a football team which exerted enormous sporting and political influence on the life of Belfast during the first half of this century. Closely modelled on Glasgow Celtic's combination of stylish football and community leadership, Belfast Celtic grew to dominate the emergent Irish professional game. The club won 71 honours in 50 years, including 14 league championships, but could never discard the shroud of sectarianism. The terrible violence of the mob that attacked the Belfast Celtic team after their derby match with Linfield on Boxing Day, 1948, was effectively the final act in an epic drama blending sporting triumph and the Realpolitic of religious bigotry. Coyle mines a rich seam of eye-witness accounts in a critical study which never loses its empathy with the individuals involved or its love for the sport. He argues that Irish football must rekindle the optimism and passion that characterises the story of Celtic and this is a powerful elegy for a unique club. --Alex HankinRead More