Shinty exhibition at Hampden Park
A UNIQUE exhibition detail- ing shinty’s past, present and future has been running at the award-winning Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park, Glasgow.
The exhibition is organised by the Camanachd Association, in partnership with the Scottish Football Museum.
The group which organised the display was led by shinty historian and broadcaster Dr Hugh Dan MacLennan.
The exhibition is strongly bilingual with Gaelic elements throughout, and was supported by Bòrd na Gàidhlig, the national Gaelic development agency.
Given shinty’s participation in the Scottish Sporting Heritage network, which is also based at Hampden, the partnership between football and shinty looks set to develop. Many trophies and artefacts on display have rarely been seen in public, and the exhibition includes significant collections of memorabilia and medals from throughout the shinty community.
Shinty and football facts 1) Shinty and football is recorded at Aberdeen’s King’s College as far back as the 17th century; three times a week students were permitted to go out on to the links for recreation where they enjoyed playing football, shinty and golf.
2) Whilst Aberdeen University Shinty Club is the oldest ‘constituted’ shinty club in the world, it is not the first shinty club to be recorded. A ‘North of Spey’ shinty club is reported to have existed in Aberdeen as early as 1849 and is the earliest known club.
3) George Keith, 5th Earl of Marischal, who founded Marischal College in 1593, was himself a keen footballer. In the 1580s he got into a quarrel with Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell, after a bad football tackle led to an altercation. Only an intervention from King James VI stopped the two noblemen from settling matters with a duel.
4) Shinty has been played throughout Scotland, even in St Kilda and the Borders, but never in Orkney or Shetland.
5) The ‘Paisley Football and Shinty Club’, founded in 1855, is the only known club to have been devoted entirely to both sports.
6) A number of early association football clubs were formed by shinty players; these include Vale of Leven FC (Scottish Cup winners in 1877, 1878 and 1879) and Renton FC (Scottish Cup winners in 1885 and 1888).
7) Rangers FC are said to have supplied the original blue and white strips which have been carried with distinction by Kyles Athletic.
8) A number of top footballers were noted shinty players in their day, notably Duncan Shearer, ex-Aberdeen and Chelsea, and Donald Park of Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Hearts, Hibs and Partick Thistle.
9) Shinty has been played at a number of famous sporting venues in Glasgow, including Hampden Park, Parkhead and Ibrox.
10) Several football teams and stadia in England have a shinty connection such as Nottingham Forest, Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge.