A world of detail

Recent weeks have seen Heritage Development Officer Paul Treanor’s quest for historical information on Cliftonville FC receive updates from our own shores and much further afield, demonstrating the extent of the Club’s reach.

John from Norwich used to sell programmes at Solitude as a boy around 1960 and very kindly sent us over a small collection from this period. Old programmes are useful sources of data as they give team panels and Club details from an era when there was little else on the Reds in local media.

Eileen from New York was told that her Grandfather played for Cliftonville before moving to the United States in 1927. We knew that a W Hughes featured that season and can now confirm that he was William Hughes – another gap in our records filled. Eileen is also lucky enough to have a Grandfather who not only played for the Reds but appeared in an Irish Cup Final, scoring a goal in our 3-2 loss to Ards in the 1927 showpiece..

And finally, gratitude extended to the family of former Cliftonville Director Jim Greer who passed away recently. Through Jim Boyce, they supplied two full scrapbooks covering 1953-1955. These books contained many gems, including inside pages from programmes, match reports and any other news articles on the Club over these seasons.

It seems they may have originally been put together by long-serving Secretary Davy Bennett, and also included his invitation to Kevin McGarry’s wedding in 1954, as well as information on supporters’ travel to see the Reds in the annual Isle of Man tournament, plus an advert for our annual Carnival on the Oldpark Avenue pitch.

Huge thanks to everyone who continues to help build up a fuller picture of our heritage.

If you or someone you know has any Cliftonville related items – photos, reports,  records, minute books, ledgers, or scrapbooks – these and similar records from any era are important, so anything at all could be useful.

The biggest gaps, however, are from the pre-1978 era, when as a Club we were not doing so well, so anything anybody has from the 1940s to 1960s would be particularly welcome.

Finally, while donations are very acceptable, I am happy to receive items on loan to be digitally recorded and returned. Simply seek me out on matchdays.

Thank you in advance,
Paul Treanor
Cliftonville Heritage Development Officer