Plans have been announced for a lasting memorial to Tommy Burns- by the Calton church he was closely associated and which hosted the meeting that created Celtic Football Club.
Located less than a mile from Celtic Park, St Mary’s plan to create a lasting memorial as well as a valued community resource that would certainly have met with the approval of the former Celtic player and manager.
Burns never forgot or hid his roots, even as Celtic manager and living in Newton Mearns he never lost contact with his roots and had time for many worthy causes.
Community events, supporters evenings and hospital visits were a daily part of his life with the parish of St Mary’s looking to create something special in memory of their famous parishioner.
The Celtic Day One website explains:
As part of the ongoing renovation programme at St Mary’s we are delighted to announce plans to develop a new St Mary’s Hall. A rebirth of the home of Celtic Football Club. St Mary’s is the historical and spiritual home of Celtic. The Club was founded here on 6th November 1887. The aim of the hall is to enrich the social and pastoral life of those who live, work and visit the Calton. We also want to include the wider community of Glasgow’s East End and the wider community of the Celtic Family. As well as providing a valuable resource in the Calton, we intend to have dedicated museum along with information celebrating the foundational and formative years of Celtic Football Club. Alongside this we intend to continue to achieve the original aims of Brother Walfrid, Celtic’s founding father, to provide a modern day out-reach to the poor and marginalised in our society.
With the resources and reach of the Celtic support the museum should be something special, keeping alive the early ethos of the club as demonstrated by Burns.