A new children’s book about the boy who emigrated from Sligo, aged 15, and went on to found Glasgow Celtic FC
Available 26 May 2023 | €12 | 72pp | Reading age 6 | ISBN: 978 1 7399922 8 6 Published by Argyll Publishing
Glasgow Celtic has some of the most enthusiastic young fans in the world but how many of them know the inspiring story of their club’s founder? There would be no Glasgow Celtic if Andrew Kerins had not left his home near Ballymote, Co Sligo in 1855 to seek a better life in Scotland. The Boy Who Started Celtic tells the story of how that boy became Brother Walfrid, a Marist Brother, and started the club with like-minded people to raise funds for needy people.
The book is written by a direct descendant of Brother Walfrid. Alison Healy, from Ballymote, is his great grandniece and is a journalist and children’s book author. She takes readers back to Andrew Kerins’ humble beginnings and tells how his childhood years were marked by the Famine. He and his friend Bart McGettrick sold a calf at the fair in Ballymote to pay for their passage on a cattle and coal boat from Sligo to Glasgow.
The Boy Who Started Celtic is a must for any young Celtic fan, but it also has a lot to say to all readers about the difference one person can make in the world. And it looks at how some of today’s sports stars such as food poverty campaigner Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, are using sport to help improve people’s lives, just as Brother Walfrid did.
Alison Healy said she was delighted to share Brother Walfrid’s story with children everywhere. “It’s important to share stories of hope when there are so many worrying things going on in the world and this story is truly hopeful,” she said. “I'm excited for children to read how one boy from a humble background survived the Famine, emigrated with nothing and grew up to change people's lives. More than 100 years after his death, Brother Walfrid is still bringing joy to people today, through Celtic, and that's something to celebrate.”
Brought to us by Scottish publishers, Argyll Publishing (€12), The Boy Who Started Celtic is available on pre-order now from thirstybooks.com, branches of Celtic Superstore, Amazon and trade sales from Gardners.
About the Book
- Hardback, illustrated in full colour with original artwork by Glaswegian artist Paul Francis Wilkie
- The first children’s book about the life of the founder of Celtic
- Inspirational story
- Introduces young readers to issues such as the Famine, emigration and charitable work in an accessible way
- Great boy-appeal
About the Author
Alison Healy is a writer and journalist from Ballymote, Co Sligo, who now lives in Kildare. This is her second children’s book. Her first, How Billy Brown Saved the Queen, was published by Little Island Books. She also ghost wrote Queen of the Plough - the autobiography of Anna May McHugh, for Penguin. She writes for The Irish Times and previously worked at the Farmers’ Journal. Her first job as a journalist was with The Sligo Champion.
About the Illustrator
Paul Francis Wilkie is a Coatbridge-born, Celtic-supporting graduate of the Glasgow School of Art.
About the publisher
Argyll Publishing also published Walfrid, a Life of Faith, Community and Football by Dr Michael Connolly in November. This scholarly retelling of Brother Walfrid’s story was described by former Irish president Mary McAleese as “a beautifully told biography” which made Brother Walfrid visible again “as he deserves to be”.