Patsy Gallacher, one of Celtic’s finest ever players was born on March 16, 1891, and the family connection with the club continues to this day because his great-granddaughter, Amy Gallacher, is currently starring for the Celtic FC Women’s team.

And we’ve dipped into the Celtic View archives for a brief summary of Hoops legend, Patsy’s career.

Prelude to Paradise

Born in Ramelton, Co Donegal, the family moved to Scotland when he was three-years-old, and Patsy Gallacher started his career in Scottish football with Renfrew St James and Clydebank Juniors. It was there that his talented wing-play was spotted by Celtic and Willie Maley moved quickly to bring him to Celtic Park in October 1911. Any thoughts, some reportedly voiced from legendary centre-forward Jimmy Quinn, that Gallagher’s small frame would render him unsuitable to the physical nature of the Scottish game were quickly dispelled from his first outing in the Hoops, as the Irishman became a huge favourite with his skills and trickery.

First start

On December 2, 1911, Celtic welcomed St Mirren on league duty, with the 18-year-old Gallacher replacing Paddy Travers in the side, Travers himself had replaced the injured Jimmy McMenemy six games earlier. In Gallacher’s first showing, the Hoops won 3-1 in front of a 12,000 crowd with the goals coming from Andy Donaldson, Peter Johnstone and Willie Loney. The following week he scored his first goal for the club in a 4-1 win over Queen’s Park at Hampden – that wouldn’t be his last goal at the National Stadium. Gallacher made nine league appearances over the rest of that season, mainly when McMenemy was out of the side. However, both appeared together in the semi-final and final of the Scottish Cup, each of the games played at Ibrox, and both scored in the 2-0 final win over Clyde – and, injuries apart, both would be first-team players together for the next eight seasons.

Highs

His first and last medals for the club came in the Scottish Cup and scored in both finals, in 1912 and 1925. The latter, which kick-started Celtic’s comeback in a 2-1 win over Dundee, will go down in history as one of the best cup final goals of all time, anywhere in the world. Over the course of his 15-year Celtic career, he added another two Scottish Cup triumphs – in 1914 and 1923 – to bring his overall tally to four. Gallacher also won a total of six championships with Celtic. He was an integral part of the four-in-a-row run between 1914 and 1917, and was a virtual ever-present in seasons 1918/19 and 1921/22 as Celtic were again crowned champions of Scotland. The 1921/22 triumph, coming 10 years after he had signed for Celtic, must have been especially sweet for Gallacher. It also turned out to be the last league title he won during his Celtic career.

Lows

The day of July 27, 1926 was dark one in the club’s history and one which highlights the attitude of the then board towards great players who had outlived their use. After 15 years of courageous service and an unfathomable number of kicks and assaults during matches, Patsy was ‘retired’ by the club without his knowledge in July 1926. The little playmaker had missed most of the previous season with a knee injury and it is widely believed that the board acted in order to save on wages. ‘I am as right as rain!’ said Patsy when the news was broken to him. ‘The idea of being finished has never entered my head!’ He reluctantly moved to Falkirk, for a fee of around £1,500, with the Bairns getting six years of sterling service from a player who had been very poorly treated by Celtic’s ‘custodians’.

Last start

In season 1925/26, Airdrie finished second in the league – for the fourth year running, the first three times to Rangers and in this season, to Celtic. The Celts finished with 58 points to Airdrie’s 50 and Patsy Gallacher played only one game that season and it was against the Broomfield club. Unfortunately, this game on October 3, 1925 in Lanarkshire proved to be on in which Airdrie flexed their championship credentials with a 5-1 win in front of a crowd of 23,000. Jimmy McGrory got the solitary goal that afternoon in what proved to be an isolated and lacklustre final game for a Celtic hero.

What happened next?

Patsy was 39 when he retired and his achievements are made all the more remarkable when you consider the obstacles he had to overcome in life and the courage he showed in matches did not begin to compare to the strength of character he showed off it. Patsy’s wife died aged 35 while giving birth to their sixth child. Patsy became the sole figurehead of the house and combined games and training with Celtic, with his work as a shipwright in the Clydebank yards. This was dangerous work in itself and Patsy once missed a match for Celtic after being hurt when a box of tools dropped on his foot. In his later years he ran the International Bar in Clydebank, where he was a welcoming host and publican. His generosity and kindness was legendary and when he passed away his family discovered a stacked pile of IOUs from regular customers, dating back years, which Patsy had never called in.

And another thing…

Amy Gallacher, the great-granddaughter of Patsy Gallacher, joined Celtic FC Women in May last year after five years at Hibernian, and she has been a key player for Fran Alonso’s side this season, scoring 15 goals so far in the campaign. Speaking of her famous relative when she joined the Hoops, Amy said: ‘I’m very happy to be here, obviously it’s a massive club and a successful one, so I’m happy to be here and I can’t wait to get started. Following my great-granddad makes the moment a bit more special. It’s a special moment for me and for my family. Obviously, he’s a Celtic legend, so I’m not sure if I’ll live up to that but it’s a special moment. Like him, I want to be successful here and continue to develop myself and win trophies.’

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Patsy Gallacher: One of Celtic's finest ever players