Appendix 5 Hibernian’s Early Charitable Work
The following is taken from Alan Lugton’s The Making of Hibernian.
20/4/1878 EFA Cup Final v Hearts 4th replay (Lugton p35)
The EFA was making a fortune in gate receipts and fully supported by Hibernian, to whom charitable causes were most important, they donated the takings from the final replay to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. This gesture by Hibernian was significant as they went on in years to come to make many charitable contributions to worthy causes throughout Scotland.
Hibernian had built a fine reputation for charitable deeds and the success of the football teams ensured a healthy bank balance for the CYMS which was then able to help the needy. Both Catholic and non-Catholic organisations benefited from the financial help and this ‘concern for all men’
24/5/1879 Benefit Match in aid of Kilmarnock Fever Hospital (Lugton p230)
Hibernian had become the best team in the East of Scotland and their exploits on the park reached the ears of a hospital administrator in Ayrshire who arranged that Hibernian travel through to meet Kilmarnock Athletic in a challenge match with the proceeds going to the hospital fund. Hibernian travelled at their own expense so as to maximise the income gained by the hospital fund from the encounter and after the game the innovative administrator declared ‘We were not sure if Irish Catholics would accept such an invitation’ to which Michael Whelahan replied ‘We were both surprised and delighted to be asked and can assure you that neither race nor religion were ever a consideration of Hibernian or the CYMS to help such a worthy cause.’ (Lugton p40)
This exchange surely sums up the Irishmen who founded Hibernian. They arrived here not through choice but through the necessity to care for their families and they were not made welcome in any way shape or form by the Edinburgh establishment who allowed them to live and die in squalid conditions. In trying to better themselves and create an organisation that helped develop and improve the individual they founded a football club which had to struggle frantically just to receive recognition by the EFA and SFA and even then a number of decisions in crucial matches seemed to go against not just them but the rules by which all club’s were obliged to abide. Despite all of that the Irish found it in their hearts to perform charitable acts which helped people regardless of religion or race and much of the credit for that whole philosophy must go to the founding fathers of Hibernian Football Club, Father Hannan and Michael Whelahan.
As the 1879/80 season closed Father Hannan, Michael Whelahan, his close friend Malachy Byrne and Club Secretary Tom O’Reilly met to discuss the progress achieved so far and to plan for the coming season. They had much to be pleased about, Hibernian’s first and second teams having won trophies; a new home; new strips and perhaps most important of all, new friends across the land, won by the Club’s sheer willingness to travel and support a variety of charitable events, set up to help the sick and needy.
Other worthy charitable acts included a donation of funds to the Irish community in Bathgate so that they could form their own football club, Bathgate Shamrock, which went on to gain membership of the EFA.
With only the Cups to play for Hibernian had quite a few Saturdays where they had no organised game and so used those to play friendlies, many of which resulted in the funds from gate money being split evenly between the Club and deserving charities. Father Hannan was determined to run the Club as an organisation which didn’t just take from the community but gave something back in return. Worthy causes such as Edinburgh Corporation’s Poor Children Fund and the Little Sisters of the Poor were amongst those who benefited and there is a certain irony in the Corporation receiving money from a Club which was founded by the self-same Irish immigrants the City had shunned for years. Charitable acts were to become a way of life for Hibernian Football Club for years to come
Further matches were played both in Scotland and England as the Hibernian team was in great demand. On almost all these occasions, a charity would benefit from the takings at the gate as Hibernian continued to foster and promote Father Hannan’s philosophy of giving back to the people.
10/9/1881 Benefit Match v Dundee Harp in aid of the Little Sisters of the Poor and the Edinburgh Corporation Poor Children’s Fund. (Lugton p54 & 236)
12/4/1882 Hibs return from English tour
‘It was a very tired Hibernian party that arrived back in Edinburgh, but they had a duty to perform before they could get to bed. Fr. Hannan had arranged an evening tea party and assembly in St. Mary’s St. Hall to raise money for Catholic schools and he promised that his football team would be there, as their appearance at such functions always made the ticket sales rocket’. (Lugton p59)
27/4/1882 Benefit Match v Dundee Harp in aid of Edinburgh’s Catholic schools. (Lugton p238)
26/4/1882 & 19/5/1882
The Roseberry Charity Cup Final and replay… local charities again benefited greatly. (Lugton p72)
17/2/1883 Benefit Match v Leith Shamrock at Leith Links in aid of St Mary Star of the Sea church (Lugton p240)
10/3/1883 Roseberry Charity Cup Semi-Final v Hearts (Lugton p63)
Hibernian was drawn against Hearts in the Rosebery Charity Cup and the tie was played at Powderhall. The good news from that tie was the fact that 6,000 attended and all monies went to local charities. The chief beneficiaries were the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Leith Hospital. Father Hannan had been instrumental in having Hibernian play that day, even though weakened by injury, because he wanted the local charities to benefit.
The success in raising funds for charitable purposes in the West of Scotland from matches played in Glasgow for the Merchants Charity Cup since the 1876-77 season led to the Edinburgh Football Association approaching Lord Rosebery, a well-known and influential sporting patron, in the hope that a similar competition could be organised for the East of Scotland. Organised as an end of season competition, the Cup was played for every season from 1882-83
23/2/1884 Benefit Match v Fauldhouse Hibernian in aid of Catholic charities (Lugton p243)
7/3/1885 Benefit Match v Dundee Harp in aid of Dundee Catholic charities
After the match they were entertained to tea by the CYMS at their headquarters in Tay St. where speeches of friendship were delivered. (Lugton p77 & 246)
4/4/1885 & 25/4/1885 Roseberry Charity Cup (Lugton p78,79)
8/8/1885 Benefit Match v Dundee Harp in aid of Dundee Catholic charities (Lugton p246)
26/9/1885 While Hibs 1st team were playing Clyde at Easter Rd, Hibs 2nd team were honouring a promise to play a Catholic charity match in Glasgow vs Glasgow Hibernian, a small junior club which Hibernian had helped to found. The game was to raise funds for the Glasgow East End Poor Children’s Table.
Tea afterwards at St Mary’s Hall, East Rose Street, hosted by the SVP.
Brother Walfrid watched the day’s proceedings with great interest… the seeds of an idea… (Lugton p82)
15/10/1885 Charity Match v Dundee West End in aid of the Dundee Poor Children’s Fund
A few days later the Hibernian committee and players accepted an invitation from Brother Walfrid to attend a Grand Charity Dance in aid the Glasgow East End Poor Children’s Table. They took a handsome donation with them (Lugton p84
28/11/1885 Benefit Match v Dundee Harp in aid of Dundee Catholic charities (Lugton p248)
30/1/1886 Charity Match v Dundee Wanderers in aid of the Dundee Poor Children’s Fund (Lugton p87)
15/5/1886 & 1/6/1886 Roseberry Charity Cup (Lugton p90, 91)
7/8/1886 Charity match v Durhamtown Rangers (Bathgate) at Kingscavil near Linlithgow in aid of ‘The Building Fund for a RC church, presbytery and School dedicated to the memory of Mary Queen of Scots’
On the same day Hibs 2nd team were playing in Glasgow with proceeds going to the Glasgow East End Poor Children’s Table. Again, Brother Walfrid watched the day’s proceedings with interest. (Lugton p94 & 251)
18/9/1886 Hibs 2nd team in Glasgow vs St Peter’s FC to benefit the Glasgow East End Poor Children’s Table. (Lugton p95)
25/9/1886 A junior player, Willie Davidson, died during a game at Leith Links.
His family and friends were Protestants, but it was Catholic Hibernian whose assistance was sought
Hibernian Park was made available for a charity match and a generous donation as made. (Lugton p96)
19/3/1887 Charity Match v Airdrie at Mavisbank Park in aid of striking Lanarkshire coal miners
Hibernian were particularly delighted to help, as the Irish miners were among their staunch supporters (Lugton p115,116 & 255)
23/4/1887 Glasgow Charity Cup at Hampden Park (Lugton p117)
26/5/1887 The first Glasgow East End RC Charity Cup match v Renton, arranged by Brother Walfrid, John Glass and Pat Walsh. Clyde FC generously allowed their ground, Barrowfield to be used for the game.
Attendance was 12,000! (Lugton p118)
24/6/1887 Benefit Match v Dundee Harp in aid of Dundee Catholic charities (Lugton p256)
6/8/1887 Replay of Glasgow East End RC Charity Cup match v Renton in aid of Brother Walfrid’s Poor Children’s Table. Clyde FC again made Barrowfield available. (Lugton p121)
29/8/1887 Charity match v Queensferry Hibernian whose players were drawn from the Irishmen working on the construction of the Forth Rail Bridge. Proceeds towards the building of a temporary Catholic church. (Lugton p124 & 257)
25/2/1888 Benefit Match v Airdrie in aid of striking Lanarkshire coal miners (Lugton p261)
17/3/1888 Hibs v Hearts at Easter Rd
Hibs donated their share of the gate money to the Edinburgh Corporation Poor Children’s Fund, a long-standing favourite charity of Hibernian. (Lugton p131 & 261)
That particular charity had received significant sums from the greens in the thirteen years since the club was founded and the monies truly did make a difference to the children of poor families in Edinburgh.
Families who were destitute and had no means of feeding their children may have found themselves split up with the father entering the Poorhouse and the mother and children having to rely on charitable donations from sources such as the Edinburgh Corporation Poor Children’s Fund and the Little Sisters of the Poor so it can be clearly seen that Hibernian did not differentiate to whom monies would be donated on the basis of race or religion.
19/3/1888 Benefit Match v Co Kerry at Easter Rd in aid of The Little Sisters of the Poor (Lugton p132 & 261)
Easter 1888 visit to Belfast. Hibernian’s first ever trip to Ireland
Proceeds to aid the Catholic victims of the Orange pogrom
2/4/1888 v Belfast Distillery
3/4/1888 v United Belfast (Lugton p132 & 262)
21/5/1888 Benefit Match v Albion Rovers at Coatbridge in aid of Whifflet Shamrock, a local Irish team Hibernian had helped to found. (Lugton p137 & 263)
29/5/1888 Benefit Match v Hearts in aid of Glencairn, an Edinburgh junior team. (Lugton p138 & 263)
23/6/1888 Benefit Match v Airdrie in aid of Lanarkshire Catholic organisations. (Lugton p138 & 263)
30/6/1888 Benefit Match v Clydebank at Dalmuir Park in aid of Clydebank charities (Lugton p263)
11/8/1888 Benefit Match v Dundee Harp in aid of Dundee Catholic charities (Lugton p264)
01/12/1888 As tight as money was for Hibernian at this time, they were at the forefront of a fundraising concert for a new Catholic church: St Columba’s Upper Grey St Newington. This was the first of many fundraising events by Hibernian for this church and much of their gate money went towards it. (Lugton p153)
9/3/1889 Benefit Match v Celtic at Celtic Park in aid of funds of Hibernian - brought forward from 23/3
This gesture was much appreciated by Hibernian who for the first time were receiving charity instead of giving it. (Lugton p156-7 & 267)
16/11/1889 Benefit Match v Celtic at Celtic Park in aid of Edinburgh Catholic charities (Lugton p165 & 271)
14/2/1891 Benefit Match v Leith Athletic at Bank Park in aid of Hibernian funds (Lugton p183 & 277)
Canon Hannan Memorial Committee winding up their activities, which Hibernian had generously supported, used the remaining money to set up the Canon Hannan Memorial Fund for Orphans which was used to feed, clothe and board the orphans of Little Ireland and Leith in St Joseph’s Industrial School, Tranent. More than the magnificent cross at Grange Cemetery or the beautiful tablet in St. Patrick’s church, Canon Hannan would have without doubt appreciated the assistance many orphans were to enjoy. (Lugton p218)