The Red Handers; Ulster United FC

In the Beginning….

On Tuesday, the 18th of November, 1913, an announcement appeared in the pages of the Toronto Evening Telegraph, it read;

“A grand rally of Ulster men is to take place on Friday evening next in Occident Hall for the purpose of forming a football club.”

Ulster United was founded from that historic meeting. The club would go on to be one of Canada’s most successful football clubs.

They would win countless titles and cups in the first half of the 20th century; the Dominion Trophy in 1922, 1946, and 1951 and the Ontario Cup three times, in 1927, 1929, and 1937.

Glory Days

In 1926, “Ulster”, along with Montreal Carsteel, were instrumental in forming the National Soccer League, the first professional league of any significance in Canada. They went on to be crowned league champions 5 times, winning the title the very first season of the league’s formation (1926) and again in 1932, 1933, 1934 and 1941.

In 1926 they won the Nathan Strauss Cup as winners of the International League, an experimental league set up between Canadian and American teams, defeating three full-time professional US clubs – New Bedford Whalers, Brooklyn Wanderers and Boston Wonder Workers, plus three Canadian teams, Montreal Carsteel, Montreal Scottish and Toronto City on their way to cup glory.

Ulster United Football Club

When Canada played against the United States in 1925 and 1926, no fewer than seven Ulster United players played for Canada in the three games. They were Fred Dierden, Roy Faulkner, Jimmy Galloway, Fred Williams, Jimmy Moir, Bill Dinnie and George Graham.

Arguably though, it was in 1925 that the club really made it’s mark in North America.

That was the year in which Ulster United would buy a small piece of land in East Toronto. That modest bit of undeveloped land would eventally become ‘Ulster Stadium’, one of the most beautiful sporting stadia in all of North America.

“The Red Handers” (as Ulster United had come to be nicknamed) went from strength to strength, drawing ever larger crowds to their newly built stadium, so much so that they soon had to expand the ground.

As the 12th of February, 1927, edition of the Toronto Evening Telegram recounts: “Owing to the increasing popularity……seating accommodation had to be materially added to, and the directors decided to erect a covered stand on the west side of the grounds.”

This addition brought Ulster Stadium up to a capacity of more than 12,000.

Driving along Gerrard Street in Toronto today, past Pape and towards Coxwell unto Greenwood Avenue there is nothing to tell you that this was once the site of one of the finest soccer stadiums in North America.

There is no sign or plaque to tell you that this is the site where the mighty Ulster Stadium once stood.

The ‘Ulster Arms Hotel’

“Orange Toronto”

It is no surprise that Toronto would see the creation of a football club with a name like Ulster United, the city being the home of much of Canada’s Ulster-Scots diaspora.

The city’s annual Twelfth of July parade was (and still is) the high point of the year for many people. With thousands either taking part or spectating.

Twelfth of July parade, Toronto, 1946

Ulster Stadium played host to a number of annual marching band contests featuring both flute bands and pipe bands, in addition to other events like motor sports, public meetings, concerts and sports such as lacrosse, rugby and baseball.

Flute band competition, Ulster Stadium, 1927.

The great stadium, built upon the site of a former brickyard, was a focal point for the local community, whether they were Ulster-Scots or not, as well as for expatriate Ulster folk in Toronto as a whole.

Rangers Come to Town

Ulster United played against many famous European and South American teams. Sparta Prague, Liverpool, Manchester United, Kilmarnock, Audax Italiano (Chile), and Fortuna Dusseldorf to name but a few.

But perhaps the most famous game of all was played against Rangers in 1930. In May of that year Rangers Football Club traveled to North America for an extensive fourteen-game tour.

The famous Scottish club arrived in Toronto on the 20th and on the same night a banquet was arranged by former Rangers players that were now living in Canada.

Rangers had won both the League and the Scottish Cup in the 1929-30 season. They would provide “the Red Handers” with their most difficult opposition yet.

A notable member of the Rangers touring party was Robert “Whitey” McDonald. Whitey had grown up in Hamilton, Ontario, and played for Hamilton Thistle. He moved on to Ulster United and then to Bethlehem Steel FC before Rangers spotted him on their pioneering 1928 North American tour and signed him up.

Robert ‘Whitey’ McDonald

On the night of Wednesday, the 21st of May, 1930, the match was played at the imposing Ulster Stadium, Rangers first match of the tour. More than nine thousand excited fans were in attendance.

The match kicked off with Rangers showing their usual polished style, but the Ulster United forward line kept giving the Scottish double-winners defence plenty of work.

Rangers scored the opening goal of the game when Ulster United goalkeeper Kirk was judged to have handled the ball outside his penalty area and Rangers were awarded a free kick. The ball was floated into the box and George Brown scored with a powerful header.

Just one minute later Ulster United equalized, when former Northern Ireland international forward Allan Mathieson scored. The teams withdrew at half-time with the score level at 1-1.

At the beginning of the second half, Ulster fullback Dave Eadie handled the ball in the penalty area. The referee pointed to the spot. Alan Morton stepped up to take the penalty, calmly converting despite the best efforts of Ulster goalkeeper Kirk, who nearly saved it.

“Glasgow Rangers who are world-wide known as the most outstanding football team playing this game”

The Red Handers were not beaten yet though. A few minutes later the teams were level again, Ulster United equalizing thanks to a “hard shot” from forward George Graham.

Then Jimmy Moir, playing his first game of the season, scored from a long pass from Graham. Incredibly, with just seven minutes left of the game, Ulster United were winning 3-2 and were pressing in search of a killer fourth goal.

With just 5 minutes left Rangers equalized. The unfortunate Eadie this time putting the ball into his own net after some good pressing from the Rangers forward line.

Jimmy Fleming scored Rangers’s fourth goal with practically the last kick of the ball, giving the Scottish giants a dramatic 4-3 victory in what was, by all accounts, a thrilling and evenly matched game of football.

Decline

The Great Depression had a terrible impact on soccer, and most other spectator sports, in North America. Attendances dropped, players were expected to play for lower wages, stadia were not maintained and, overall, standards declined.

By the time the Depression ended, attendances at football matches in Canada were down significantly. Then came the Second World War, another hammer blow to football in Canada and to it’s leading clubs, among them Ulster United.

After the war the popularity of football began to decline. The National Soccer League was beset by problems and many clubs folded during the 1950s and 60s.

Sadly, Ulster United was one of them. By 1960 two different (and competing) groups claimed ownership of the club. Ulster remained in the National Soccer League until 1961, but finished last out of just seven teams, a sure sign of the general decline of Canadian football as a whole.

By the mid 1960s the club had slipped into obscurity, so much so that nobody is even completely sure when Ulster United finally disbanded. What is known for sure is that the club was defunct by the beginning of the 1970s.

Ulster Prime-Minister Sir James Craig visits the Ulster Stadium.

Unfortunately, just like the team, the Ulster Stadium no longer exists. The only reminder that stands today is a bar, called the ‘Ulster Arms Tavern’, that sits just across the road from where Ulster United’s ground once stood, on the former site of the ‘Ulster Arms Hotel’ which closed some time in the 1950s.

If teams like Ulster United had survived, along with the other great teams of those halcyon days before World War Two, Canadian soccer would be in significantly better shape than it is today.

Ulster United deserves to be remembered, not just by the people of Ulster but by the wider Ulster-Scots diaspora, especially in Canada and especially in Toronto, former home of the now legendary Red Handers.

Maybe one day (a reformed) Ulster United FC will once again play in front of thousands of loyal fans.

Hate Begets Hate; The Vicious Circle of Sectarianism

Let us begin this blog post by reiterating our condemnation of the recent video which emerged of a number people, who would probably describe themselves as Unionists or Loyalists, singing a vile and hateful song about Michaela McAreavey, who was murdered whilst on honeymoon in Mauritius in 2011.

Those people do not represent anybody but themselves. Songs like the one they sang about Mrs McAreavey are sick and disgusting. There can be no justification for such sectarian behaviour, no “ifs or buts”. It was wrong. It was deeply offensive. It was spiteful. It was sick. Full stop.

Unfortunately, some of the reaction to it has been every bit as hateful, bigoted and sectarian. People have reacted to a hateful incident by being just as hateful themselves. It has become a vicious circle of sectarianism. A closed loop of hate, bigotry, anger, outrage, offence and distrust, leading to yet more hate, bigotry, anger, outrage, offence and distrust.

Make no mistake about it – if we truly want Northern Ireland to work, if we genuinely want our wee country to have normality and stability, then that vicious circle of sectarianism and hatred must be broken.

We cannot break that circle by reacting to hate and sectarianism with even more hate and sectarianism.

Houses of Glass

Irish nationalists went into meltdown over the “McAreavey incident”, which allegedly took place inside an Orange Hall, although that has yet to be confirmed. They were justified in doing so. I would have expected nothing less.

But one would have supposed that those who were most vociferous would be those with the “cleanest hands” in regard to bigotry and sectarianism, right? Wrong. Instead we saw some of the most bitter, hate-fuelled and sectarian people in the British Isles labelling the entire Unionist/Loyalist community as being “subhuman”, gloating about the death of Protestants, calling for political parties to be banned, calling for mass ethnic cleansing etc etc etc.

Jimmy Bell was Rangers FC kitman until his untimely death from cancer just before the Europa League final.

“Normal organisations” according to a lot of Irish nationalists include; PIRA/Sinn Fein, the AOH, the IPLO etc

We saw old sectarian stereotypes brought back to the fore. We saw people (who yes, of course, were justifiably angry) berate, lecture, demonise and vilify the entire PUL community.

We saw the old buzzwords coming back out. We saw people calling for the Orange Institution to be banned. We saw people call for the idiots responsible for the original incident to be killed.

In short; we saw a reaction which was every bit as vile, sectarian and bigoted as the original instance of sectarianism and hatred.

Loyalists and Unionists tried to bring some sort of balance to the social media furore. The very many instances of sectarian singing by GAA teams, Celtic supporters groups, casual groups of Irish nationalists etc were all highlighted.

But rather than condemn such incidents, nationalists and republicans attempted to downplay them or even justify them.

Contrast and compare with the reaction to the original “Dundonald video” by Unionists and Loyalists, who universally condemned it.

“How Can I Make This About Me?”

The reaction of some politicians and so-called journalists was just as sickening. Rather than condemn the original incident, condemn sectarianism and call for unity, one or two well known individuals attempted to make personal capital from the incident.

I will not dignify those wretched people by naming them here, my readers know who I am referring to, or should at least have a fair idea.

By attempting to use this incident for their own ends, they have not only trivialised it, but also added yet more insult to injury.

These are people who should know better but who have, unfortunately, been able to make careers out of personalising serious societal issues and exploiting communal divisions for their own selfish ends.

The media

Certain broadcasters and “news outlets” (I use the term loosely) are also guilty of stoking intercommunal tensions. It is only right that they should have reported on the story, of course, but certain sections of the media actually appear to be trying to keep the story in the news, long after it actually was news.

Their actions were grossly irresponsible. At a time when Northern Ireland as a whole had united in disgust, certain people in the media decided it was a good idea to throw fuel onto the fire.

All Unionist political parties condemned it, including the DUP. Would these same people support a ban on Sinn Fein? Soaradh? The IRSP? The GAA?

Don’t be Mistaken

This blog post is not an attempt to deflect away from, nor to justify the abhorrent, hateful, sick behaviour of a few drunken idiots singing a despicable, moronic, nasty song about the death of an innocent woman. It is merely an analysis of the reaction to that ugly, sectarian and undignified incident.

An incident which, as I’ve already stated, was roundly condemned by the Unionist/Loyalist community as a whole.

If only the Irish nationalist/republican community was as robust in their condemnation of hate.

If only, even just once, we could see or hear the so-called political “leadership” of that community call out and unequivocally condemn the actions of the legion of sectarian bigots, racists and misogynistic idiots who attack, ridicule, mock, disparage and generally harass Unionists and Loyalists on a daily basis.

Calls for mass ethnic cleansing, like this one above, are posted online by Irish nationalist extremists on a daily basis.

If only. Yesterday our ISOT twitter account posted a screenshot of Irish nationalists mocking the murder of Lord Mountbatten and four others (the dead included 2 children). We asked nationalists/republicans to condemn it.

Only one did so.

So, which community has the biggest problem with hatred and bigotry? Which community unites in condemnation of sectarianism and which community, when confronted with bigotry and prejudice, goes into a solemn and stonewall silence?

It is up to you to decide for yourself. I will however make a prediction; before the end of 2022, a video will surface of nationalists/republicans mocking the death of Protestants, or British soldiers, or RUC officers, or singing songs glorifying the heinous actions of the INLA, Provisional IRA, IPLO etc, or desecrating a War Memorial, or vandalising an Orange Hall and the vast majority of Irish nationalists will ignore it and pass no comment.

Unfortunately that is the society that we live in and, equally unfortunately, that is the society we will continue to live in unless everyone has the moral courage to condemn sectarianism regardless of it’s source.

Loyalists and Unionists have no difficulty in condemning and calling out bigotry and hatred from wherever it may emanate. Irish nationalism however does not seem ready, or able, to face up to it’s own problems in this regard. That is a fundamental difference and it is one that I intend to address at a later date.

For a very large number of nationalists and republicans condemnation of sectarian hatred seems to be a kind of bizarre one-way process. One in which they expect “sackcloth and ashes” from the Unionist/Loyalist community when a member of that community oversteps the bounds of acceptable behaviour, but conversely, remain steadfastly silent when it comes to members of their own community.

Such hypocrisy and partisanship will forever be an obstacle on the road to eradicating sectarianism.

Þole Aȝe Umquhile Poustie