The Grand Old Team

Lisbon Lion Bertie Auld brought the house down at a celebration of the life and times of Charlie Tully on July 27. Bertie, who played with Tully as a cub player at Celtic, was in Belfast to mark the 40th anniversary of Cheeky Charlie’s passing, at two special events organised by the Belfast Celtic Society.

Hundreds of football fans and the Tully family crowded round Charlie’s graveside at Milltown Cemetery to hear Jim Emery, Tully’s assistant at Bangor FC, recall the football legend’s life. Belfast’s Mayor Niall Ó Donnghaile spoke on behalf of the city to mark the anniversary.

Affairs at the Cemetery were rounded off by Terry Dick, son of legendary singer Glen Daly, who led the crowd in a rendition of the Celtic Song, made famous by his father, who’d first heard it from Tully.

Wreaths were laid on behalf of the Association of Irish Celtic Supporters Clubs, the Tullyglen CSC, the Tommy Nelson CSC, The Celtic Graves Society and the Belfast Celtic Society.

Later at a packed Rock Bar, now part-owned by Celtic’s Paddy McCourt, Bertie led the tributes with an hilarious recollection of Tully’s time in Glasgow. The European Cup winner also spoke of his admiration for the former Belfast Celt as a person.

A special surprise greeted the Tully family, as one of Charlie’s Irish international caps was returned to them after forty years – much of his memorabilia had been sold to pay for his funeral costs in 1971.

Padraig Coyle, Chairperson of the Belfast Celtic Society, who organised the tributes, said: “It is hard to imagine a more fitting tribute to a great Celtic man than the events to remember Charlie Tully.

“The amount of people participating is a testament to his enduring popularity and all members of our Society hope the Tully family take great comfort in the knowledge that their dad and granddad remains a firm favourite".

“When John Thomson died, Celtic’s manager Willie Maley said that those who live on in our hearts never die and this applies to Charlie Tully. To ensure new generations learn of his fame, we have built a brand new website, www.charlietully.com, which will have tons of information on his life and times.

I’d like to thank Bertie Auld for taking the time to travel to Belfast for the events and to John McLoughlin from the Celtic Graves Society whose incredible work behind the scenes made it all happen.

“I’d also like to thank Terry Dick and Kevin Daly for their attendance and of course Mayor O’Donnghaile and Jim Emery for their touching graveside orations.”

The Association of Irish Celtic Supporters Clubs was represented by Ulster representative Maria Foy, whose luck was in at the celebration evening, where she picked up the main raffle prize, a signed Neil Lennon jersey.