Edinburgh’s First Hibernian is the first biography of Edward Hannan, a Catholic priest who rose from poverty in rural Ireland to become one of the most influential figures in 19th-century Edinburgh. Hannan worked tirelessly in the medieval Old Town to provide Catholic boys with an education and a sense of fulfilment that could save them from falling into a life of crime.
It is a tale of charity and commitment in a city still dominated by its Protestant elite, a tale that culminates in the foundation of Hibernian Football Club by members of the city’s Irish community in 1875 – surely Hannan’s most permanent legacy to his fellow citizens.
Mike Hennessy should be thanked for rescuing Hannan from obscurity, but for much more, too. He writes with the passion of a lifelong Hibs fan and with a keen feel for the texture of the city streets he knew as a boy, and his book makes a significant contribution to Edinburgh’s social, religious and sporting history.