Joe McBride funeral packed out

Jul 18 2012

Hundreds of people have attended the funeral of former Celtic, Hibernian and Motherwell striker Joe McBride.

Mourners included former Celtic player Tosh McKinlay, the club's chief executive Peter Lawwell and former Rangers defender Sandy Jardine. Members of the Lisbon Lions squad, including Billy McNeill and Bertie Auld, lined the front row of St Dominic's Church in Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow.

McBride's son, also Joe McBride, a first-team coach at Cardiff City football club, was a pallbearer at the requiem mass.

McBride died at Glasgow Royal Infirmary last week after suffering a stroke. He was 74.

He is best known for his goalscoring exploits at Celtic between 1965 and 1968, hitting the back of the net 86 times in 94 games. He won two league titles and a couple of league cups at Celtic Park but was not part of the famous Lisbon Lions side which became the first British team to win the European Cup in 1967.

The Glasgow-born striker got injured in December that year, which ruled him out of the rest of the season, although he already scored 35 goals in just 26 games.

Mr Lawwell paid tribute to McBride who also worked as an ambassador for the club. "Joe was a very fine man, an absolute gentleman and someone who gave tremendous service to the club over a number of years," he said.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon also offered the sympathies of everyone at the club. "The loss of Joe is terrible news. It was a pleasure to be in Joe's company and, on a personal level, Joe was someone who was always very supportive to myself," he said.

At the packed-out funeral which saw people standing in the doorway of the 500-capacity church, a black and white picture of McBride during his playing days at Celtic featured on the order of service.

It ended with an Irish blessing being read out: "May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields and, until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand."