The current challenge I’m facing in writing my project is deciding upon a structure that keeps the transnational element at the centre. The essential purpose of my project is to uncover the transnational connections between Belfast and Glasgow through the example of the connections between the two Celtic football clubs in each city – not to merely present an interesting history of the two clubs. The problem, therefore, is making sure my argument is structured such – and my sources used as such – that the transnational dimension remains central throughout, in a coherent structure, rather than being relegated to the peripheries.
The sources that I have encountered so far can generally be divided into several categories. Firstly, there are general secondary histories of Belfast and Glasgow Celtic that often provide quite detailed accounts of the clubs’ histories that are often placed in a wider social and political context. Secondly, there are more specific primary sources that include the first hand accounts of fans of both clubs at the time, and contemporary newspaper reports – many of which are archived by the Belfast Celtic Society. Thirdly, there is the wider body of transnational Irish history, which as far as my own rudimentary research suggests, is beginning to flourish. The ‘Transnational Ireland international network’ is a group of academics from a variety of universities worldwide that share an interest in Irish transnational history. While none of the articles listed on their website’s bibliography directly discuss the sort of Scots-Irish links in the particular period and context of my project, they do often touch on similar issues regarding migration and cultural transfer across the Irish Sea – providing vital context and background for my own study amongst the wider body of Irish transnational historiography.
The questioned I’m posed, then, is how do I marry all of these sources into a coherent structure that keeps the transnational question at the fore? In my project proposal I set out the intention to arrange my argument around three areas – sectarianism, cultural identity and individual actors. However, as Harriet suggested in a previous blog post, it may be beneficial to narrow down the scope of my argument. Indeed, upon reflection, the third category of individual actors may be superfluous – analysis of individual actors will likely be common to the previous two sections. Moreover, with the areas of ‘sectarianism’ and ‘cultural identity’ isolated, we may begin to see them two as sides of the same coin. Another potential way of structuring my project then would be to study on the one hand, the ‘positive’ shared identity and on the other the ‘negative’ shared identity manifested through sectarianism. This may allow me to focus on a narrow spectrum of events, mainly the riots between Rangers and Celtic in Glasgow that were mirrored in Belfast with Celtic and Linfield. This would allow me to initially focus on primary sources, before stepping back to consider wider conclusions. The ultimate aim would be to highlight the shared Scots-Irish sphere of influence, through these ‘negative’ and ‘positive’ cultural ties. However, I’m still not entirely convinced of the most effective structure to use.
Moving forward, I need to identify the primary sources that apply to these areas, and identify how they can contribute to the argument. Similarly, I need to research how the existing Irish and Scottish transnational historiography deals with these areas.
http://transnationalireland.com/bibliography/
Click to access RIISS_diaspora_bibliography.pdf