‘Celtic family’ mourn tragic death of Martin McGill

Celtic’s green and white dotted Creeslough on Tuesday afternoon.

It was not an unfamiliar site given the closeness of the ties between Donegal and Celtic and Tuesday was Champions League day.

Scarves were draped around shoulders, jerseys on the backs of others, including children.

The Celtic supporters in Creeslough on Tuesday were there for a different purpose.

Avid Celtic fan Martin McGill was one of ten people to die in the Creeslough explosion on Friday.

Watch: Celtic Park and Hampden pay respects to the victims of Creeslough

Those who lost their lives in Creeslough were remembered at both Celtic's Champions League fixture against RB Leipzig and the Republic of Ireland's Women's World Cup play-off against Scotland

“We have a lot of members down here, including Martin,” said Denis O'Donnell from the Association of Donegal Celtic Supporters' Clubs who was among the mourners at Martin’s funeral at St Michael’s Church.

“If you’re Celtic, you’re Celtic and we are all a big family. There is such a connection between this area and Celtic.”

Known as ‘Scotch Martin’, Martin McGill moved to Creeslough in 2001 to care for his parents. His father, Joseph, passed away in February and he is survived by his mother, Mary.

Originally from Kirkintilloch in East Dunbartonshire, Martin was a regular visitor to Lafferty’s shop and a Celtic jersey was never far.

For Tuesday night’s Champions League game against RP Leipzig, Celtic players wore black armbands. Celtic Park fell silent before the game to honour the dead while the club made a £10,000 donation to the Creeslough fund.

Celtic blood courses through the veins of north and west Donegal. The first sod of turf laid at Celtic Park in 1892 was carried from Donegal. In 1995, when the pitch was relaid, again they turned to Donegal for the first sod.

Mr O’Donnell said: “The whole Celtic family are mourning. We were in contact with the club once we knew the connection. We are so grateful for what they have done. Celtic really come up trumps at times like this.

It is amazing because it was a Champions League match. We thought they would do a minute’s silence at the weekend at the Hibs game. To have it at a Champions League match, it’s not something that would happen regularly.

“A lot of people from this area travel to games with us and we know Martin. He would have watched some games with Barney McTeague in Rose’s.

“God it’s terrible. We all feel it. This could have been any of us.”