Ewe Reds!

Though it’s not unusual for a football pitch to be utilised for unconventional pastimes in the summer months, one particular repurposing of Solitude caught the eye of Heritage Development Officer Paul Treanor.

For while our famous home ground has hosted carnivals, bands and cycling events over the years, Committee Minutes from 125 years ago record that an Antrim Road butcher offered the Club £2 during the summer of 1901 to allow him to graze sheep – and what’s more, his proposal was granted!

While Reds fans of a certain vintage may recall a pre-season friendly against Sligo Rovers that couldn’t start until sheep had been herded off the Showgrounds pitch and into an enclosure behind one of the goals, events a century-and-quarter ago demonstrate that was nothing compared to when Solitude was put to an alternative ewes.