Coordinates	37°46′45.48″N122°25′9.12″N
clubname	Celtic
fullname	The Celtic Football Club
nickname	The Bhoys, The Hoops, The Celts
founded	1888
ground	Celtic ParkGlasgow, Scotland
capacity	60,832
chairman	John Reid
manager	Neil Lennon
league	Scottish Premier League
season	2010–11
position	2nd
Pattern la1	_celtic1011h |pattern_b1 _celtic1011h |pattern_ra1 _celtic1011h |pattern_sh1 _por10h |pattern_so1 _celtic1011h |leftarm1 FFFFFF |body1 FFFFFF |rightarm1 FFFFFF |shorts1 FFFFFF |socks1 FFFFFF
Pattern la2	_celtic1112a |pattern_b2 _celtic1112a |pattern_ra2 _celtic1112a |pattern_sh2 _por10a |pattern_so2 |leftarm2 FFFFFF |body2 FFFFFF |rightarm2 FFFFFF |shorts2 FFFFFF |socks2 FFFFFF
Pattern la3	|pattern_b3 _celtic1112t |pattern_ra3 |pattern_sh3 _mal10h |pattern_so3 _blacktop |leftarm3 FFDD00 |body3 FFFFFF |rightarm3 FFDD00 |shorts3 FFFFFF |socks3 FFDD00
current	2011–12 Celtic F.C. season }}

Celtic Football Club () () is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the 2007–08 season, the Scottish Cup 35 times and the Scottish League Cup 14 times. Celtic's home stadium is Celtic Park, the biggest football stadium in Scotland, with a capacity of 60,832. Together with their Glasgow rivals, Rangers, they form the Old Firm, one of the most famous and fierce rivalries in sport. The club's traditional playing colours are green and white hooped shirts with white shorts and white socks.

In 1967, Celtic became the first British team, and only Scottish team, to win the European Cup: the players, subsequently known as the Lisbon Lions, were all born within a 30-mile radius of Parkhead. Celtic won every competition they entered that season: the Scottish League Championship, the Scottish Cup, the Scottish League Cup, the European Cup and the Glasgow Cup. Celtic also reached the 1970 European Cup Final, but were beaten by Feyenoord.

In 2003, Celtic reached the UEFA Cup Final, where they lost 3-2 to FC Porto. An estimated 80,000 Celtic supporters travelled to Seville for the occasion. Celtic fans received awards from UEFA and FIFA for their behaviour at the match. In April 2003 the club was estimated to have a fan base of nine million people, including one million in North America.

History

Formation

Celtic were formally founded in St. Mary's Church Hall on East Rose Street (now Forbes Street), Calton, Glasgow, by Brother Walfrid, an Irish Marist brother, on 6 November 1887. Brother Walfrid's move to establish the club as a means of fund raising for his charity, The Poor Children's Dinner Table, was largely inspired by the example of Hibernian who were formed out of the immigrant Irish population thirteen years earlier in Edinburgh, with 7 of Celtic's first eleven players signing from Hibernian. Walfrid's own suggestion of the name ''Celtic'' was intended to reflect the club's Irish and Scottish origins, and was adopted at the same meeting.

The club's official nickname is The Bhoys, the spelling of which denotes an Irish pronunciation, in reflection of the club's heritage. The club's first tangible bit of evidence for their nickname is a postcard from the earliest years of the 20th century, which refers to the Celtic team of the time as "the bould bhoys" (sic), while the team were already known as the "Bold Boys" soon after the club was founded. The term "Boys" was used for most football teams of Glasgow at the time, most probably in reference to the local, sectarian, youth gangs prevalent in Glasgow at the time, the (Catholic, Irish) Timalloys and the (Protestant, Loyalist) Billyboys.

On 28 May 1888, Celtic played their first official match against Rangers and won 5–2. During their formative years, Celtic played in a white shirt with a green collar and a red Celtic cross on the breast, then switched to green and white vertical stripes around 1890. They made the switch to their green and white hoops in 1903.

1967

1967 was Celtic's most successful ever year. The club won every competition they entered: the Scottish League, the Scottish Cup, the Scottish League Cup, the Glasgow Cup, and the European Cup. Managed by Jock Stein, and captained by Billy McNeill, the club defeated Inter Milan 2–1 in Lisbon, Portugal on 25 May 1967. Celtic thus became the first British team, and the first from outside Spain, Portugal and Italy to win the competition. They remain the only Scottish team to have reached the final. The winning players subsequently became known as the 'Lisbon Lions'. The East Stand at Celtic Park is dedicated to the Lisbon Lions, and the West Stand to Jock Stein. Celtic reached the European Cup Final again in 1970, but were beaten 2–1 by Feyenoord at the San Siro in Milan.

Stein managed Celtic to nine straight Scottish League wins from 1966 to 1974, establishing a world record which was not equalled until 1997.

2003

Celtic qualified for the 2003 UEFA Cup Final by beating clubs including Blackburn Rovers, Celta Vigo, Stuttgart and Liverpool. Around 80,000 Celtic fans travelled to watch the Final, which was played in Seville. Celtic lost the match 3–2 to FC Porto after extra time. The Celtic fans were presented with Fair Play Awards from both FIFA and UEFA "for their extraordinarily loyal and sporting behaviour".

2010-11

Celtic began the 2010–11 pre-season by signing Cardiff City midfielder Joe Ledley and defenders Charlie Mulgrew and Cha Du-Ri on free transfers, while Daryl Murphy, Emilio Izaguirre and Efraín Juárez signed for undisclosed fees. Former club captain Stephen McManus left for Middlesbrough for a fee of £1.5 million, and goalkeeper Artur Boruc left for Fiorentina.

In July Celtic were drawn in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League against Portuguese side Braga. Celtic lost the first leg of the tie 3–0 away from home. Celtic won the return leg 2–1, but went out of the Champions League 4–2 on aggregate. Celtic were knocked out of European football altogether in August, after they lost their Europa League qualifying match against FC Utrecht 4–2 on aggregate.

Celtic won their first eight league games of the SPL season, before losing to Rangers, who also had a 100% record, 3–1. Celtic started November beating Aberdeen 9–0 in an SPL record victory. They then lost to Hearts and drew at home against Dundee United and Inverness Caledonian Thistle, with a victory over St Mirren the only consolation. The Inverness match was notable because it was officiated by Luxembourg referee Alain Hamer, who had stepped in because of the Scottish football referee strike. Celtic began 2011 by beating Rangers 2–0 at Ibrox, and beat their rivals again 3–0 on 20 February. Celtic finished the season in second place in the SPL table, a point behind Rangers.

In the League Cup, Celtic beat Inverness 6–0 and St Johnstone 3–2 before beating Aberdeen in the semi-final. In the final, they lost 2–1 to Rangers after extra time.

In the Scottish Cup, Celtic entered in the fourth round, beating Third Division team Berwick Rangers 2–0, and drawing 2–2 with Rangers in the fifth round. They beat Rangers 1–0 in the replay and booked their place in the final beating Aberdeen 4–0 at Hampden Park. In the final Celtic beat Motherwell 3-0, with goals scored by Ki Sung-Yeung, Charlie Mulgrew and an own goal from Stephen Craigan.

Current season

Celtic's first signings of the 2011–12 season were Adam Matthews and Kelvin Wilson on free transfers from Cardiff and Nottingham Forest respectively. Celtic also signed Kenyan international Victor Wanyama from K. Beerschot AC for £900,000. While Germany and Sweden internationals Andreas Hinkel and Freddie Ljungberg both left the club after their contracts expired. Three former youth academy player left on free transfers, with Graham Carey and Paul McGowan both joining St. Mirren after Celtic agreed to end their contracts and Ryan Conroy going to Dundee after his contract expired. Three players left on loan deals, Niall McGinn joined League One Brentford, Darren O'Dea went to Championship side Leeds and Efraín Juárez joined up with his former Mexico coach Javier Aguirre at La Ligas Real Zaragoza.

Celtic started their pre-season with a three match tour of Australia, facing Central Coast Mariners, Perth Glory, and Melbourne Victory. They then finished second in the Dublin Super Cup after facing Inter Milan on 30 July and a League of Ireland select team the next day. The other team competing was Manchester City who won the competition. Celtic also played three other friendlies against Premier League teams Wolves and Swansea City. As well as Championship side Cardiff. Celtic played four friendlies in between there first and second SPL matches. With the Dublin Super Cup and both Premier League sides being played in the one week between Celtic's matches against Hibs and Aberdeen.

Celtic's U19 squad will play in the inaugural tournament of the prestigious NextGen series.

Celtic were drawn against Swiss Cup winners FC Sion in the play-off round of the Europa League.

Celtic's first SPL match of the season was against Hibernian at Easter Road on 24 July. Celtic won 2-0 thanks to goals from Stokes and Ki.

Crest and colours

For Celtic's first season they wore a white top with black shorts and black and green hooped socks. This kit featured a green celtic cross inside a red circle. Next season they changed to a green and white vertically striped top and for the next fourteen years this remained unchanged. In 1903 Celtic adopted their now famous green and white hooped tops.

Stadia

Celtic's stadium, Celtic Park, which is based in Parkhead, Glasgow, is the sixth largest stadium in the United Kingdom and the second largest in Scotland. However, only one, Old Trafford, is a regularly used football stadium. The capacity of Celtic Park has been 60,832 since the redevelopment to an all seater stadium in the mid 1990's.

Supporters

In 2003 Celtic were estimated to have a fan base of nine million people, including one million in the USA and Canada. There are over 160 Celtic Supporters Clubs in over 20 countries around the world. In 2009 marketing agency, Sports Revolution estimated that there were 7 million Celtic fans in Japan, mainly due to the influence of Shunsuke Nakamura.

In the 2010-11 season, Celtic had the highest average home attendance of any Scottish club. They also had the 13th highest average attendance in Europe.

In 2003, an estimated 80,000 Celtic supporters, many without match tickets, travelled to Seville in Spain for the UEFA Cup Final, The club's fans subsequently received awards from UEFA and FIFA for their behaviour at the match.

Old Firm rivalry

Celtic's traditional rivals are Rangers; collectively, the two clubs are known as the Old Firm. The two have dominated Scottish football's history; between them, they have won the Scottish league championship 96 times since its inception in 1890 - all other clubs combined have won 19 championships. The two clubs are also by far the most supported in Scotland, with Celtic having the third highest home attendance in the UK. Celtic have a historic association with the people of Ireland and Scots of Irish descent, who are both mainly Catholic. Traditionally fans of rivals Rangers came from Scottish or Northern Ireland Protestant backgrounds and support British Unionism.

The clubs have attracted the support of opposing factions in the political difficulties of Northern Ireland, which intensified the rivalry in Scotland. Anti-sectarian charity Nil by Mouth notes that some supporters use songs, chants and banners on match days to express abuse or support towards the Protestant or Catholic faiths and proclaim support for Northern Irish based terrorist groups such as the IRA and UVF. A study in 2008 by the University of Strathclyde found that the Old Firm rivalry was "strongly linked to the conflict in Northern Ireland".

There have been nearly 400 Old Firm matches played as of 2011. The games have been described as having an "atmosphere of hatred, religious tension and intimidation which continues to lead to violence in communities across Scotland." The rivalry has fuelled many assaults and even deaths on Old Firm Derby days. Admissions to hospital emergency rooms have been reported to increase ninefold over normal levels and journalist Franklin Foer noted that in the period from 1996 to 2003, eight deaths in Glasgow were directly linked to Old Firm matches, and hundreds of assaults. Rangers fans' singing of the ''Famine song'' has also caused controversy.

Both sets of fans fought an on-pitch battle in the aftermath of Celtic's 1–0 victory in the 1980 Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park. There was serious fan disorder during an Old Firm match played in May 1999 at Celtic Park; missiles were thrown by Celtic fans, including one which struck referee Hugh Dallas, who needed medical treatment, and a small number of fans invaded the pitch.

Sectarianism

In March 2008, UEFA investigated Celtic fans for alleged sectarian singing at a match against Barcelona. However the case was dropped before the end of the month due to a lack of evidence. In 2008, a Celtic fan was convicted of a religiously aggravated breach of the peace for wearing a t-shirt with the slogan "dirty horrible huns".

Both clubs have taken measures to reduce sectarianism. In 1996 Celtic launched their ''Bhoys Against Bigotry'' campaign, later followed by ''Youth Against Bigotry'' to "educate the young on having ... respect for all aspects of the community — all races, all colours, all creeds".

Irish republicanism

Some groups of Celtic fans express their support for Irish republicanism and the IRA by singing or chanting about them at matches. In 2008 and 2010, there were protests by small groups of fans over the team wearing the poppy symbol for Remembrance Day, as it is a divisive symbol in Ireland. Celtic have expressed disapproval of these protests, saying they are damaging to the image of the club and its fans, and that they will ban those involved.

Celtic media

In 1965, Celtic began publishing ''The Celtic View'', the oldest club magazine in football.

In 2004, Celtic launched their own digital TV channel called Celtic TV, which was available in the UK through Setanta Sports on satellite and cable platforms. Due to the collapse of Setanta in the UK in June 2009, Celtic TV is no longer broadcasting, although the club are hoping to find a new broadcast partner.

Since 2002, Celtic's Internet TV channel Channel67 (previously known as Celtic Replay) has broadcast Celtic's own content worldwide and offers live match coverage to subscribers outside the UK. It also now provides three online channels.

Celtic and charity

Celtic was initially founded to raise money for the poor in the East End of Glasgow and the club still retain strong charitable traditions today.

On 9 August 2011 Celtic held a testimonial match in honour of former player John Kennedy, due to the humanitarian crisis in East Africa. The entire proceeds were donated to Oxfam. An estimated £300,000 was raised.

In 1995 the Celtic charity fund was formed with the aim of "revitalising Celtic's charitable traditions" and has so far raised over £3million.

Ownership and finances

On 15 August 2011, Celtic's financial results for year ending 30 June 2011 were published, showing that the club's debt had been reduced from over £5.5 million to £500,000 and that a pre-tax profit of £100,000 had been achieved. Compared with a loss of over £2 million the previous year. Turnover also decreased by 15% from £63 million to £52 million.

Current squad

First team squad

Out on loan

Reserve and youth squads

For Celtic's reserve and youth squads, see Celtic F.C. Reserve and Youth squads

2011-12 transfers

:''Click here for a list of Celtic transfers in season 2011-12''

Non-playing staff

Board of directors

Position !! Name
Chairman	John Reid (politician)>John Reid
Chief Executive	Peter Lawwell
Financial Director	Eric J. Riley
Senior Independent Director	Tom Allison
Independent Non-Executive Director	Dermot Desmond
Independent Non-Executive Director	Brian Duffy
Independent Non-Executive Director	Ian Livingston
Independent Non-Executive Director	Brian Wilson (Labour politician)>Brian Wilson
Company Secretary	Robert Howat
Commercial Director	Adrian Filby
Director of International Development	Jason Hughes

Management

Position !! Name
Manager	Neil Lennon
Assistant Manager	Johan Mjällby
First Team Coach	Alan Thompson (footballer)>Alan Thompson, Garry Parker
Reserve Team Coach	Danny McGrain
Head of Youth and Academy	Chris McCart
Head of Intermediate Academy	John McLaughlin
Under 19 Coach	Stephen Frail
Under 17 Coach	Miodrag Krivokapić (footballer)>Miodrag Krivokapić
Goalkeeping Coach	Stevie Woods
Club Doctor	David Pugh
Head of Sports Science	Kenny McMillan
Physiotherapist	Graham Parsons
Kit Controller	John Clark (footballer born 1941)>John Clark
Football Development Manager	John Park

Honours

Domestic honours

Scottish League Championships: 42

:: 1893, 1894, 1896, 1898, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1919, 1922, 1926, 1936, 1938, 1954, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008

Scottish Cup: 35

:: 1892, 1899, 1900, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1911, 1912, 1914, 1923, 1925, 1927, 1931, 1933, 1937, 1951, 1954, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2011

Scottish League Cup: 14

:: 1956-57, 1957–58, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1974–75, 1982–83, 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2005–06, 2008–09

European honours

European Cup: 1

:: 1967 1970 ''(runners-up)''

UEFA Cup:

:: 2003 ''(runners-up)''

Minor and special honours

Glasgow Cup: 31 (Contested by under 18 youth teams from 2008)

:: 1891, 1892, 1895, 1896, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1916, 1917, 1920, 1921, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1939, 1941, 1949, 1956, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1975*, 1982, 2008, 2011

British League Cup: 1

:: 1902

Ferencvaros Vase: 1

:: 1914

Navy and Army War Fund Shield: 1

:: 1918

Empire Exhibition Trophy: 1

:: 1938

Victory In Europe Cup: 1

:: 1945

Saint Mungo Cup: 1

:: 1951

Coronation Cup: 1

:: 1953

Alfredo di Stefano Trophy: 1

:: 1967

CNE Cup of Champions: 1

:: 1968

France Football European Team of the Year: 1

:: 1970

Drybrough Cup: 1

:: 1974

Translink Cup: 1

:: 2009

World of Soccer Cup: 1

:: 1977

Feyenoord Tournament: 1

:: 1981

Dubai Gold Cup: 1

:: 1989

Wembley Cup: 1

:: 2009

Fenway Football Challenge: 1

:: 2010

Jock Stein Friendship Cup: 2

:: 2008, 2009

Youth honours

Scottish Youth Cup: 11

:: 1984, 1987, 1989, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011

Under 18 Scottish Premier League: 2

:: 2000, 2003

Under 19 Scottish Premier League: 5

:: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011

Under 21 Scottish Premier League: 3

:: 2002, 2003, 2004

Reserve Scottish Premier League: 8

:: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

Other awards

BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award: 1

:: 1967

France Football European Team of the Year: 1

:: 1970

FIFA Fair Play Award: 1

:: 2003 (awarded to the fans of Celtic FC)

UEFA Fair Play Award:

:: 1 * 1975 trophy shared with Rangers after a 2–2 draw

Managers

16 0 1 10 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 3 0 0

!Name	!Scottish League	!Scottish Cup	!Scottish League Cup	UEFA Champions League>European Cup	!Total
align=left	1897–1940		|	14	—	—	30
align=left	1940–1945		|	0	—	—	0
align=left	1945–1965		|	2	2	—	5
align=left	1965–1978		|	8	6	1	25
align=left	1978–1983		|	1	1	0	5
align=left	1983–1987		|	1	0	0	2
align=left	1987–1991		|	2	0	0	3
align=left	1991–1993		|	0	0	0	0
align=left	1993–1994		|	0	0	0	0
align=left	1994–1997		|	1	0	0	1
align=left	1997–1998		|	0	1	0	2
align=left	1998–1999		|	0	0	0	0
align=left	1999–2000		|	0	0	0	0
align=left	2000		|	0	1	0	1
align=left	2000–2005		|	3	1	0	7
align=left	2005–2009		|	1	2	0	6
align=left	2009–2010		|	0	0	0	0
align=left	2010–		|	1	0	0	1

Records

Club records

The Scottish Cup final win against Aberdeen in 1937 was attended by a crowd of 147,365 at Hampden Park in Glasgow, which remains a world record gate for a national cup final Highest attendance for a European club competition match: Celtic v Leeds United in the European Cup semi-final, 15 April 1970 at Hampden Park, Glasgow. Official attendance 136,505 Record home attendance: 92,000 against Rangers on 1 January 1938. A 3–0 victory for Celtic UK record for an unbeaten run in professional football: 62 games (49 won, 13 drawn), from 13 November 1915 until 21 April 1917 – a total of 17 months and four days in all (they lost at home to Kilmarnock on the penultimate day of the season) SPL record for an unbeaten run of home matches (77), from 2001 to 2004 14 consecutive League Cup final appearances, from season 1964/65 to 1977/78 inclusive, a world record for successive appearances in the final of a major football competition

Most goals scored in one Scottish top-flight league match by one player: 8 goals by Jimmy McGrory against Dunfermline in 9–0 win on 14 January 1928

Highest score in a domestic British cup final: Celtic 7–1 Rangers, Scottish League Cup Final 1957 Fastest hat-trick in European Club Football – Mark Burchill vs Jeunesse Esch in 2000; 3 minutes (between 12th minute and 15th minute), a record at the time Earliest SPL Championship won. Twice won with 6 games remaining, against Kilmarnock on 18 April 2004 and Hearts on 5 April 2006 Biggest margin of victory in the SPL. 9–0 against Aberdeen, 6 November 2010 Celtic and Hibernian hold the record for the biggest transfer fee between two Scottish clubs. Celtic bought Scott Brown from Hibernian on 16 May 2007 for £4.4m Most expensive export from Scottish football, Aiden McGeady to Spartak Moscow, August 2010

First weekly club publication in the UK, ''The Celtic View''

First European club to sign a player from the Indian sub-continent

First British club to reach the final of the European Cup, and the only Scottish, and first British team to win the European Cup

Individual records

Record appearances: Billy McNeill, 790 from 1957–1975

Most capped player: 102, Kenny Dalglish

Record scorer: Jimmy McGrory, 468 (1922/23 – 1937/38)

Most goals in a season (all competitions): Jimmy McGrory, 59 (1926/27) (49 League/10 Scottish Cup)

Most goals in a season (league only): Jimmy McGrory, 50 (1935/36)

:''All players are from Scotland unless otherwise stated.'' {|class="wikitable sortable" cellpadding="3" align="left" style="text-align: center;" |+Top Goalscorers |- !class="unsortable"|Rank !class="unsortable"|Name !class="unsortable"|Career !Goals |- |1 |align="left"|Jimmy McGrory |1922–1937 |550 |- |2 |align="left"|Bobby Lennox |1961–19781979–1980 |273 |- |3 |align="left"|Henrik Larsson |1997–2004 |242 |- |4 |align="left"|Stevie Chalmers |1958–1971 |231 |- |5 |align="left"|Jimmy Quinn |1900–1917 |217 |- |6 |align="left"|Patsy Gallacher |1911–1926 |192 |- |7 |align="left"|John Hughes |1960–1971 |189 |- |8 |align="left"|Sandy McMahon |1891–1903 |171 |- |9 |align="left"|Jimmy McMenemy |1902–1920 |168 |- |10 |align="left"|Kenny Dalglish |1969–1977 |167 |} {|class="wikitable sortable" cellpadding="3" align="center" style="text-align: center;" |+Top League Goalscorers |- !class="unsortable"|Rank !class="unsortable"|Name !class="unsortable"|Career !Goals |- |1 |align="left"|Jimmy McGrory |1922–1937 |397 |- |2 |align="left"|Jimmy Quinn |1900–1917 |187 |- |3 |align="left"|Patsy Gallacher |1911–1926 |186 |- |4 |align="left"|Henrik Larsson |1997–2004 |174 |- |6 |align="left"|Bobby Lennox |1961–19781979–1980 |167 |- |6 |align="left"|Stevie Chalmers |1958–1971 |159 |- |7 |align="left"|Jimmy McMenemy |1902–1920 |144 |- |8 |align="left"|Sandy McMahon |1891–1903 |130 |- |9 |align="left"|Adam McLean |1917–1928 |128 |- |10 |align="left"|John Hughes |1960–1971 |115 |}

{|class="wikitable sortable" cellpadding="3" style="text-align: center;" |+Most Appearances |- !class="unsortable"|Rank !class="unsortable"|Name !class="unsortable"|Career !Apps |- |1 |align="left"|Billy McNeill |1957–1975 |790 |- |2 |align="left"|Paul McStay |1981–1997 |678 |- |3 |align="left"|Roy Aitken |1976–1990 |669 |- |4 |align="left"|Danny McGrain |1970–1987 |661 |- |5 |align="left"|Packie Bonner |1978–1995 |642 |- |6 |align="left"|Bobby Lennox |1961–19781979–1980 |587 |- |7 |align="left"|Bobby Evans |1944–1960 |548 |- |8 |align="left"|Jimmy Johnstone |1962–1975 |515 |- |9 |align="left"|Jimmy McMenemy |1902–1920 |515 |- |10 |align="left"|Tommy Burns |1975–1989 |504 |}

Notable former players

See List of Celtic F.C. players for players with over 100 appearances, List of Celtic F.C. international footballers and Category:Celtic FC players

Greatest ever team

{| style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; width: 180px; border: #99B3FF solid 1px" |- | |- | Greatest ever Celtic team |} The following team was voted the greatest ever Celtic team by supporters in 2002: Ronnie Simpson Danny McGrain Tommy Gemmell Bobby Murdoch Paul McStay MBE Billy McNeill MBE – Voted Celtic's greatest ever captain Bertie Auld Jimmy Johnstone – Voted Celtic's greatest ever player Bobby Lennox MBE Kenny Dalglish MBE Henrik Larsson MBE – Voted Celtic's greatest ever foreign player

Scotland Football Hall of Fame

So far 18 Celtic players and managers have entered the Scottish Football Hall of Fame: Bertie Auld

Kenny Dalglish MBE

Jimmy Delaney

Bobby Evans

Tommy Gemmell

Jimmy Johnstone

Maurice Johnston Paul Lambert

Henrik Larsson

Bobby Lennox

Willie Maley

Danny McGrain

Jimmy McGrory

Billy McNeill

Bobby Murdoch

Jock Stein CBE

Gordon Strachan

John Thomson

Scotland Roll of Honour

The Scotland national football team roll of honour recognises players who have gained 50 or more international caps for Scotland. Inductees to have played for Celtic are:

Roy Aitken

Tom Boyd

John Collins

Kenny Dalglish MBE

Danny McGrain

Paul McStay

Kenny Miller

Scottish Sports Hall of Fame

In the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame 5 Celtic players have been selected, they are:

Kenny Dalglish MBE

Jimmy Johnstone

Jimmy McGrory

Billy McNeill MBE

Jock Stein CBE

Other notable former players

William Angus VC – A World War I hero who was awarded the Victoria Cross

Neil Clarke – First foreigner (from outside UK and Republic of Ireland) to play for Celtic

Mohammed Salim – First Asian player to play in Europe

John Thomson – Died in a collision while playing against Rangers

Gil Heron – Jamaican footballer, an early black player in British football and father of noted poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron

Sponsors

As of January 2011, Celtic are sponsored by:

Tennents

Nike

Thomas Cook

Scottish Leader (whisky producer)

MBNA

Coca-Cola

Citylink

Lomond Audi

Football Saver

Powerade

Clydesdale Bank

ESPN

Sky Sports

See also

Sport in Scotland

Football in Scotland

Richest football clubs

List of Celtic F.C. players

Lennoxtown Training Centre

Celtic F.C. Reserve and Youth squads

Celtic Boys Club

Celtic F.C. and World War I

References

External links

Official website

Category:Scottish football clubs Category:Sport in Glasgow Category:Publicly traded sports companies Celtic Category:Culture in Glasgow Category:Scottish Premier League teams Category:1888 establishments in Scotland

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Coordinates	37°46′45.48″N122°25′9.12″N
Name	Sinéad O'Connor
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor
Origin	Glenageary, County Dublin, Ireland
Birth date	December 08, 1966
Genre	Alternative rock, pop rock, folk rock
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, priest
Years active	1986–present
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, percussion, low whistle
First album	''The Lion and the Cobra'' (1987)
Notable songs	"Nothing Compares 2 U" (1990)
Label	Ensign, Vanguard, Chocolate and Vanilla
Website	Official website }}

Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor (; born 8 December 1966) is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album ''The Lion and the Cobra'' and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U".

Since then, she has occasionally encountered controversy, partly due to her forthright statements and gestures, ordination as a priest despite being female with a Roman Catholic background, and expressed strong views on organized religion, women's rights, war, and child abuse while still maintaining a singing career.

Her body of work includes a number of collaborations with other artists and appearances at charity fundraising concerts, in addition to her own solo albums.

Early life

Sinéad O'Connor was born in Glenageary in County Dublin and was named after Sinéad de Valera, wife of Irish President Éamon de Valera and mother of the doctor presiding over the delivery, and Saint Bernadette of Lourdes. She is the middle of five children, sister to Joseph, Eimear, John, and Eoin. Joseph O'Connor is a novelist.

Her parents are Sean O'Connor, a structural engineer later turned barrister, and Marie O'Connor. The couple married young and had a troubled relationship, separating when Sinéad was eight. The three eldest children went to live with their mother, where O'Connor claims they were subjected to frequent physical abuse. Her song "Fire on Babylon" is about the effects of her own child abuse, and she has consistently advocated on behalf of abused children. Sean O'Connor's efforts to secure custody of his children in a country which routinely gave custody to the mother and prohibited divorce motivated him to become chairman of the Divorce Action Group and a prominent public spokesman. At one point, he even debated his own wife on the subject on a radio show.

In 1979, O'Connor left her mother and went to live with her father and his new wife. However, her shoplifting and truancy led to her being placed in a Magdalene Asylum at age 15, the Grianán Training Centre run by the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity. In some ways, she thrived there, especially in writing and music, but she also chafed under the imposed conformity. Unruly students there were sometimes sent to sleep in the adjoining nursing home, an experience of which she later commented, "I have never — and probably will never — experience such panic and terror and agony over anything."

One of the volunteers at Grianán was the sister of Paul Byrne, drummer for the band In Tua Nua, who heard O'Connor singing "Evergreen" by Barbra Streisand. She recorded a song with them called "Take My Hand" but they felt that at 15, she was too young to join the band.

In 1983, her father sent her to Newtown School, an exclusive Quaker boarding school in Waterford, an institution with a much more permissive atmosphere than Grianan. With the help and encouragement of her Irish language teacher, Joseph Falvey, she recorded a four-song demo, with two covers and two of her own songs which later appeared on her first album.

Through an ad she placed in ''Hot Press'' in mid-1984, she met Columb Farrelly. Together they recruited a few other members and formed a band called Ton Ton Macoute, named for the Haitian zombies. The band moved to Waterford briefly while O'Connor attended Newtown, but she soon dropped out of school and followed them to Dublin, where their performances received positive reviews. Their sound was inspired by Farrelly's interest in witchcraft, mysticism, and world music, though most observers thought O'Connor's singing and stage presence was the band's driving force.

On 10 February 1985, O'Connor's mother was killed in a car accident, which despite their strained relationship devastated her. Soon afterward she left the band, which stayed together despite O'Connor's statements to the contrary in later interviews, and moved to London.

Musical career

1980s

O'Connor's time as singer for Ton Ton Macoute brought her to the attention of the music industry, and she was eventually signed by Ensign Records. She also acquired an experienced manager, Fachtna O'Ceallaigh, former head of U2's Mother Records. Soon after she was signed, she embarked on her first major project, providing the vocals for the song "Heroine", which she cowrote with U2's guitarist The Edge for the soundtrack to the film ''Captive''. O'Ceallaigh, who had been fired by U2 for complaining about them in an interview, was outspoken with his comments about music and politics, and O'Connor began to adopt the same habits; she defended the actions of the IRA and said U2's music was "bombastic".

Things were contentious in the studio as well. She was paired with veteran producer Mick Glossop, whom she later publicly derided. They had differing visions regarding her debut album and four months of recordings were scrapped. During this time she became pregnant by her session drummer John Reynolds (who went on to drum with the band Transvision Vamp). Thanks largely to O'Ceallaigh's persuasion, the record company allowed O'Connor, 20 years old and by then seven months pregnant, to produce her own album.

''The Lion and the Cobra'' was not embraced by the pop mainstream on a large-scale basis, but the album did eventually hit gold record status and earned a Best Female Rock Vocal Performance Grammy nomination. The single "Mandinka" was a big college radio hit in the United States, and "I Want Your (Hands on Me)" received both college and urban play in a remixed form that featured rapper MC Lyte. In her first US network television appearance, O'Connor sang "Mandinka" on ''Late Night with David Letterman'' in 1988. The single "Troy" was also released as a single in the UK and Ireland. A club mix of "Troy" would become a major US dance hit in 2002.

1990s

O'Connor's first two albums (1987's ''The Lion and the Cobra'' and 1990's ''I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got'') gained considerable attention and mostly positive reviews. She was praised for her voice and her original songs. She was also noted for her appearance: her trademark shaved head, often angry expression, and sometimes shapeless or unusual clothing.

In 1989 O'Connor joined The The frontman Matt Johnson as a guest vocalist on the band's album ''Mind Bomb'', which spawned the duet "Kingdom of Rain."

The album ''I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got'' featured Marco Pirroni and Kevin Mooney, of Adam and the Ants fame, and contained her international breakthrough hit "Nothing Compares 2 U", a song written by Prince and originally recorded and released by a side project of his, The Family. Aided by a memorable and well received video by John Maybury which consisted almost solely of O'Connor's face as she performed the song, it became a massive international hit, reaching #1 in several countries. In Ireland it hit the top spot in July 1990 and remained there for 11 weeks; it is the eighth most successful single of the decade there. It had similar success in the UK, charting at #1 for 4 weeks, and in Germany (#1 for 11 weeks). In Australia, it reached #1 on the Top 100. It also claimed the #1 spot on the Hot 100 chart in the USA. She also received Grammy nominations including Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. She eventually won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance, but boycotted the award show.

Public Enemy's Hank Shocklee remixed the album's next single, "The Emperor's New Clothes," for a 12-inch that was coupled with the Celtic funk of "I Am Stretched On Your Grave." Pre-dating but included on ''I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got'' was also "Jump in the River," which originally appeared on the ''Married to the Mob'' soundtrack; the 12-inch version of the single had included a remix featuring performance artist Karen Finley. Also in 1990, O'Connor starred in a small independent Irish movie ''Hush-a-Bye Baby'' directed in Derry by Margo Harkin.

In 1990, she joined many other guests for former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters' massive performance of ''The Wall'' in Berlin. (In 1996, she would guest on ''Broken China'', a solo album by Richard Wright of Pink Floyd.) In 1991, her take on Elton John's "Sacrifice" was acclaimed as one of the best efforts on the tribute album ''Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin''.

In 1990, she contributed a cover of "You Do Something to Me" to the Cole Porter tribute/AIDS fundraising album ''Red Hot + Blue'' produced by the Red Hot Organization. In 1998, she worked again with the Red Hot Organization to co-produce and perform on ''Red Hot + Rhapsody''. ''Red Hot + Blue'' was followed by the release of ''Am I Not Your Girl?'', an album of standards and torch songs that she had listened to while growing up. Also in 1992, she contributed backing vocals on the track "Come Talk To Me", and shared vocals on the single "Blood of Eden" from the studio album ''Us'' by Peter Gabriel.

Also in 1990, she was criticized after she announced that she would not perform if the United States national anthem was played before one of her concerts. Frank Sinatra threatened to "kick her ass". After receiving 4 Grammy Award nominations she withdrew her name from consideration.

After spending nine years dividing her time between London and Los Angeles, O'Connor returned to her home town of Dublin in late 1992 to live near her sister and focus on raising her son Jake, then six years old. She spent the following months studying Bel Canto singing with teacher Frank Merriman at the Parnell School of Music. In an interview with ''The Guardian'' published 3 May 1993 she reported that her singing lessons with Merriman were the only therapy she was receiving, describing Merriman as "the most amazing teacher in the universe."

The 1993 soundtrack to the film ''In the Name of the Father'' featured "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart," with significant contributions from U2 frontman Bono.

The more conventional ''Universal Mother'' (1994) did not succeed in restoring her mass appeal. She toured with Lollapalooza in 1995, but dropped out when she became pregnant. The ''Gospel Oak'' EP followed in 1997, and featured songs based in an acoustic setting. It too, did not recapture previous album successes.

In 1994, she appeared in ''A Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who'', also known as ''Daltrey Sings Townshend''. This was a two-night concert at Carnegie Hall produced by Roger Daltrey of The Who in celebration of his 50th birthday. A CD and a VHS video of the concert were issued in 1994, followed by a DVD in 1998.

She appeared in Neil Jordan's ''The Butcher Boy'' in 1997, playing the Virgin Mary.

2000s

''Faith and Courage'' was released in 2000, including the single "No Man's Woman," and featured contributions from Wyclef Jean of the Fugees and Dave Stewart of Eurythmics. On the eve of its release, O'Connor came out as a lesbian, and then retracted the statement.

Her 2002 album, ''Sean-Nós Nua'', marked a departure in that O'Connor interpreted or, in her own words, "sexed up" traditional Irish folk songs, including several in the Irish language. In ''Sean-Nós Nua'', she covered a well-known Canadian folk song, Peggy Gordon, interpreted as a song of lesbian, rather than heterosexual, love. In her documentary, ''Song of Hearts Desire'', she stated that her inspiration for the song was her friend, a lesbian who sang the song to lament the loss of her partner.

In 2003, she contributed a track to the Dolly Parton tribute album ''Just Because I'm a Woman'', a cover of Parton's "Dagger Through the Heart". That same year, she released a double album, ''She Who Dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High Shall Abide Under the Shadow of the Almighty''. The album contained one disc of demos and previously unreleased tracks and one disc of a live concert recording. Directly after the album's release, O'Connor announced her retirement from music. ''Collaborations'', a compilation album of guest appearances, was released in 2005 - featuring tracks recorded with Peter Gabriel, Massive Attack, Jah Wobble, Terry Hall, Moby, Bomb The Bass, The Edge, U2, and The The.

Ultimately, after a brief period of inactivity and a bout with fibromyalgia, her retirement proved to be short-lived - O'Connor stated in an interview with ''Harp'' that she only intended to retire from making mainstream pop/rock music, and after dealing with her fibromyalgia, chose to move into other musical styles. The reggae album ''Throw Down Your Arms'' appeared in late 2005 and was greeted with positive reviews. It was based on the Rastafarian culture and lifestyle, O'Connor having spent time in Jamaica in 2004. She performed the single "Throw Down Your Arms" on ''The Late Late Show'' in November. She also made comments critical of the war in Iraq and the role played in it by Ireland's Shannon Airport.

On 8 November 2006, O'Connor performed seven songs from her upcoming album ''Theology'' at The Sugar Club in Dublin. Thirty fans were given the opportunity to win pairs of tickets to attend along with music industry critics. The performance was released in 2008 as Live in The Sugar Club CD/DVD sold exclusively on her website.

O'Connor released two songs from her album ''Theology'' to download for free from her official website: "If You Had a Vineyard" and "Jeremiah (Something Beautiful)". The album, a collection of covered and original Rastafari spiritual songs, was released in June 2007. The first single from the album, the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber classic "I Don't Know How to Love Him", was released on 30 April 2007. To promote the album, O'Connor toured extensively in Europe and North America. She also appeared on two tracks of the new Ian Brown album ''The World Is Yours'', including the anti-war single "Illegal Attacks".

She toured Europe during 2008 and 2009, performing mainly ''Theology'' material in an intimate, acoustic setting. She also performed "Troy" live for the first time since 1990, along with "Nothing Compares 2 U" and "Dark I Am Yet Lovely" as part of the Night of the Proms concert series in Antwerps, Belgium.

''I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got'' was reissued in 2009 with an accompanying bonus disc containing B-sides and previously unreleased material.

2010s

In January 2010, O'Connor performed a duet with R&B; singer Mary J. Blige produced by former A Tribe Called Quest member Ali Shaheed Muhammad entitled "This Is To Mother You". The proceeds of the song's sales were donated to the organization GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services).

O'Connor announced she was working with Marco Pirroni and John Reynolds on recording a new album, described as "a guitar based electric album (..) with songs about love". The forthcoming album, entitled ''Home'', will be released on 5 September.

Controversy

''Saturday Night Live'' performance

On 3 October 1992, O'Connor appeared on ''Saturday Night Live'' as a musical guest. She sang an a cappella version of Bob Marley's "War", which she intended as a protest over the sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, by changing the lyric "racism" to "child abuse." She then presented a photo of Pope John Paul II to the camera while singing the word "evil", after which she tore the photo into pieces, said "Fight the real enemy", and threw the pieces towards the camera.

''Saturday Night Live'' had no foreknowledge of O'Connor's plan; during the dress rehearsal she held up a photo of a refugee child. NBC Vice President of Late Night Rick Ludwin recalled that when he saw O'Connor's action he "literally jumped out of [his] chair." ''SNL'' writer Paula Pell recalled personnel in the control booth discussing the cameras cutting away from the singer. The audience was completely silent, with no booing or applause; executive producer Lorne Michaels recalled that "the air went out the studio". Michaels, who ordered that the applause sign not be used, described the incident as "on a certain level, a betrayal", but also "a serious expression of belief."

A nationwide audience saw O'Connor's live performance, which the ''New York Daily News''s cover called a "HOLY TERROR". NBC received more than 500 calls on Sunday and 400 more on Monday, with all but seven criticizing O'Connor; the network received 4,400 calls in total. Contrary to rumor, NBC was not fined by the Federal Communications Commission for O'Connor's act; the FCC has no regulatory power over blasphemy. NBC did not edit the performance out of the West coast tape-delayed broadcast that night, but reruns of the episode use footage from the dress rehearsal. On 24 April 2010, MSNBC aired the live version during an interview with O'Connor on ''The Rachel Maddow Show''. In 1993 issue of The Irish Times O'Connor wrote a public letter where she asked people to "stop hurting" her.

As part of ''SNL'''s apology to the audience, during his opening monologue the following week, host Joe Pesci held up the photo, explaining that he had taped it back together. Pesci also said that if it had been his show, "I would have gave her such a smack."

In a 2002 interview with Salon, when asked if she would change anything about the ''SNL'' appearance, O'Connor replied, "Hell, no!" In 2010, TV Guide Network listed the incident at No. 24 on their list of ''25 Biggest TV Blunders''.

Madonna's reaction

On Madonna's next appearance on ''SNL'' (on an episode hosted by Harvey Keitel), after singing "Bad Girl", she held up a photo of Joey Buttafuoco and, saying "fight the real enemy," tore it up. Madonna also roundly attacked O'Connor in the press for the incident, telling the Irish Times: "I think there is a better way to present her ideas rather than ripping up an image that means a lot to other people." She added, "If she is against the Roman Catholic Church and she has a problem with them, I think she should talk about it." The New York Times called it "professional jealousy" and wrote that: "After Madonna had herself gowned, harnessed, strapped down and fully stripped to promote her album ''Erotica'' and her book ''Sex'', O'Connor stole the spotlight with one photograph of a fully clothed man. But the other vilification that descended on O'Connor showed she had struck a nerve." Bob Guccione, Jr. in a 1993 SPIN editorial was adamant in his defense of O'Connor, writing, "...Madonna savaged her in the press, obviously to fuel publicity for ''Sex'' and sales of her new album, ''Erotica'' .... But when the Sinead controversy threatened to siphon some of the attention from the impending release of ''Sex'', Madonna conveniently found religion again..." In November 1991, a year prior to the incident, O'Connor had told Spin Magazine: "Madonna is probably the hugest role model for women in America. There's a woman who people look up to as being a woman who campaigns for women's rights. A woman who in an abusive way towards me, said that I look like I had a run in with a lawnmower and that I was about as sexy as a Venetian blind. Now there's the woman that America looks up to as being a campaigner for women, slagging off another woman..."

Bob Dylan tribute performance

Two weeks after the ''Saturday Night Live'' appearance, she was set to perform "I Believe in You" at the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary tribute concert in Madison Square Garden. She was greeted by a thundering mixture of cheers and jeers. During the booing, Kris Kristofferson told her not to "let the bastards get you down," to which she replied, "I'm not down." The noise eventually became so loud that O'Connor saw no point in starting the scheduled song. She called for the keyboard player to stop and the microphone to be turned up, and then screamed over the audience with an improvised, shouted rendition of "War". This time, she sang the song, stopping just after the part in which the lyrics talk about child abuse, emphasizing the point of her previous action. She then looked straight to the audience for a second and left the stage. Kristofferson then comforted her, as she cried.

Garden State Arts Center performance

On 24 August 1990, O'Connor was scheduled to perform at the then-Garden State (now PNC Bank) Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. The practice of the venue was to play a recording of the American national anthem before the show began. O'Connor, who said she was unaware of this practice until shortly before the show was to begin, refused to go on if the anthem was played. Venue officials acquiesced to her demand and omitted the anthem, and so O'Connor performed, but they later permanently banned her.

O'Connor said that she had a policy of not having the national anthem of any country played before her concerts, explaining that these were often written and composed during wars and amounted to nationalist tirades. She pointed out that she meant "no disrespect," but added that she "will not go on stage after the national anthem of a country which imposes censorship on artists. It's hypocritical and racist."

The incident made tabloid headlines, and O'Connor drew tabloid-derived criticism. Her songs were banned from some radio stations.

''After Dark'' appearance

In January 1995 O'Connor "was so interested in a (television) discussion about abuse and the Catholic church that she rang in to ask if she could appear. They sent a taxi to her home". The ''Evening Standard'' wrote that ''After Dark ''"made a brief reappearance last Saturday night when, true to its unpredictable form, Sinéad O'Connor walked on to the set 10 minutes before closedown". Host Helena Kennedy described the event:

::''On that occasion, former taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald, was sharing the sofas with a Dominican monk and a representative of the Catholic church. “While we were on the air, Sinéad O’Connor called in,”'' says Kennedy. ''“Then I got a message in my earpiece to say she had just turned up at the studio. Sinéad came on and argued that abuse in families was coded in by the church because it refused to accept the accounts of women and children,” says Kennedy.

Personal life

While she initially chose her bald look as a statement against the traditional view of women, years later, O'Connor said she had tried to grow her hair back; after being asked if she was Enya, O'Connor shaved it off again. "I don't feel like me unless I have my hair shaved. So even when I'm an old lady, I'm going to have it."

Romantic and family life

She has been married three times. Her first marriage was to music producer John Reynolds, who co-produced several of her albums, including ''Universal Mother''. They have one child together. They split up on good terms and Reynolds continues to work as her producer and drummer. Her second marriage was to journalist Nicholas Sommerlad in 2002. For a period during 2006 and early 2007, she had a relationship with Frank Bonadio, the father of her fourth child (see below) O'Connor acknowledged to Paul Martin in the ''Irish Daily Mirror'' that the two had separated as of the weekend of 17 February 2007, citing difficulties between Bonadio and his former wife, singer Mary Coughlan. O'Connor married long time friend and collaborator Steve Cooney on 22 July 2010.

She has four children: a son, Jake Reynolds, by her first husband; a daughter, Brigidine Róisíne Waters, born 6 March 1996, by ''The Irish Times'' columnist John Waters; another son, Shane, born 10 March 2004, whose father is Irish folk musician and record producer Dónal Lunny; and her fourth child, Yeshua Francis Neil, born on 19 December 2006 whose father is her former partner Frank Bonadio.

Sexuality

In a 2000 interview in ''Curve'', O'Connor outed herself as a lesbian, "I'm a dyke ... although I haven't been very open about that and throughout most of my life I've gone out with blokes because I haven't necessarily been terribly comfortable about being a big lesbian mule. But I actually am a dyke." However, soon after in an interview in ''The Independent'', she stated, "I believe it was overcompensating of me to declare myself a lesbian. It was not a publicity stunt. I was trying to make someone else feel better. And have subsequently caused pain for myself. I am not in a box of any description." In a magazine article and in a programme on RTÉ (''Ryan Confidential'', broadcast on RTÉ on 29 May 2003), she stated that while most of her sexual relationships had been with men, she has had three relationships with women. In a May 2005 issue of ''Entertainment Weekly'', she stated, "I'm three-quarters heterosexual, a quarter gay. I lean a bit more towards the hairy blokes".

Health

On an 4 October 2007 broadcast of ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', O'Connor disclosed that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder four years earlier, and had attempted suicide on her 33rd birthday on 8 December 1999.

Religion

In the late 1990s, Bishop Michael Cox of the Irish Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church (an Independent Catholic group not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church) ordained Sinéad as a priest. The Roman Catholic Church considers ordination of women to be either invalid, impossible, or both and asserts that a person attempting the sacrament of ordination upon a woman incurs excommunication. The bishop had contacted her to offer ordination following her appearance on the RTÉ's ''Late Late Show,'' during which she told the presenter, Gay Byrne, that had she not been a singer, she would have wished to have been a Catholic priest. After her ordination, she indicated that she wished to be called ''Mother Bernadette Mary.'' In an October 2002 interview with Salon.com, she credited her Christian faith in giving her the strength to live through and then overcome her child abuse.

On 26 March 2010, O'Connor appeared on ''Anderson Cooper 360°'' to speak out about the Catholic sexual abuse scandal in Ireland. On 28 March 2010, she had an opinion piece published in the Sunday Edition of the Washington Post where she wrote about the Catholic sex abuse scandal and her time in a Magdalene laundry as a teenager. She wrote an article for the ''Sunday Independent'' newspaper of 17 July 2011 in response to the sexual abuse scandal in Cloyne diocese in which she described the Vatican as "a nest of devils". She wrote that an alternate church might have to be established because "Christ is being murdered by liars" in the Vatican.

Political beliefs

O'Connor is a pacifist and, as such, she supports Ireland's tradition of neutrality in foreign wars.

Discography

1987: ''The Lion and the Cobra''

1990: ''I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got''

1992: ''Am I Not Your Girl?''

1994: ''Universal Mother''

2000: ''Faith and Courage''

2002: ''Sean-Nós Nua''

2005: ''Throw Down Your Arms''

2007: ''Theology''

2011: ''Home''

Quotation

''NME'' - March 1991

References

Further reading

Guterman, Jimmy. ''Sinéad : Her Life and Music''. Warner Books, 1991. ISBN 0-446-39254-5.

Hayes, Dermott. ''Sinéad O'Connor: So Different''. Omnibus, 1991. ISBN 0-7119-2482-1.

External links

Official site

Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:Bisexual musicians Category:BRIT Award winners Category:Celtic fusion musicians Category:Dance musicians Category:Female guitarists Category:Feminist musicians Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Irish Catholics Category:Irish female singers Category:Irish pop singers Category:Irish singer-songwriters Category:Music from Dublin (city) Category:Chrysalis Records artists Category:LGBT clergy Category:LGBT people from Ireland Category:People from Dublin (city) Category:People with bipolar disorder Category:Irish Christian pacifists Category:English-language singers Category:Irish Christian Universalists Category:Christian Universalist clergy Category:20th-century Christian Universalists Category:21st-century Christian Universalists

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