CELTIC PARK has witnessed some of the world’s best footballers like Lionel Messi grace its pitch but last night it was a group of Irish trad musicians who stole the show with a late night performance in the empty stands at Celtic FC stadium.
The group had gathered in Celtic Park with over 500 others for festivities to mark the 60th anniversary of the Irish Minstrels branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann being formed, which was the first launched outside of Ireland.
After celebrations ended for most at 2am, a small group of musicians decided to stay on after hours to perform in the stadium.
Orla Brannigan told The Irish Post about how events unfolded: "When the bar shut and they were kicking we said 'we can’t leave without seeing the stadium', so we went out to get a quick photo.
One musician, Michael Curran from Co. Tyrone, fitted in an accordion solo on Celtic Park’s famous pitch.
Celebrations are due to continue next month when the annual Comhaltas in Britain convention takes place in East Kildare.
The convention will see members from 26 British Comhaltas groups gather for a series of events including performances from some of the biggest British-based trad musicians alongside musical workshops.
This story was ammended at 7.45pm and 8.21pm on January 23, 2017 to reflect that Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann were guests of Celtic Park to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Irish Minstrels branch. The media was updated due to copyright permission.
