2nd Street Plough Bhoys CSC

The 2nd Street Plough Bhoys CSC was founded in 2013 in the Plough & The Stars in Old City, Philadelphia.

The Plough Bhoys—Philadelphia’s premier Celtic supporters club—emerged in the wake of two particularly enjoyable events in the Celtic timeline: the 2012 friendly between our beloved Hoops and Real Madrid, played right here in Philly, and the financial implosion of a certain blue-tinted Glaswegian institution. 

After the smoke cleared from these events, John Joe Devlin from Cardowan brought together Mairtin O’Bradaigh, Gary “Swing” McDonald, Ryan O’Donnell, Bill Fitzgerald, and Séamus Cummins to discuss starting our own club in the Plough and The Stars. Everyone agreed that they wanted to watch the matches in a dedicated Celtic pub, not some soccer bar that catered mainly to the EPL fans. This group was quickly joined by other founding members Joseph Brooks, Rory Flynn, Chris Giles, Aidan McCreesh, Jake Daniel, Brian Creech, Al Borden, Calum Kennedy, and Tim McMahon. 

Since that auspicious beginning on October 1, 2013, when we hosted our first match against Barcelona, the Plough Bhoys have dedicated themselves to being the best in class, welcoming ex-Celtic players, coaches, and other team representatives, and hosting our annual East Coast Celtic Supporter’s Féile, bringing Celtic fans from all over the globe to our fair city. 

In the spirit of Brother Walfrid, we support charitable organizations at home and abroad, including Toys for Tots and the Celtic FC Foundation Walk On events in New York and Philly. Club members ran the Philly Marathon to raise funds for Mary’s Meals and the Foundation’s 67 Kitchens Project—in May 2018; those funds were used to build a sustainable kitchen with safe and secure cooking and food storage facilities at the Uwiro School in Malawi. It is our privilege to help share and sustain the Celtic spirit.

Philadelphia is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city where the locals love their sports with a passion unrivaled beyond the east end of Glasgow. We Plough Bhoys pride ourselves on warmly welcoming visitors from abroad and from Celtic supporters here in North America. When you’re in Philly, be sure to drop in for a match, some quality banter, and a perfect pint of Guinness.

Finally, we must also mention the first Celtic Supporters Club in Philadelphia, the Molly Maguires CSC, founded in 1997 and located in Paddy Rooney’s Pub, which paved the way for Celtic Supporters in the Philadelphia area. Many of our members were part of this original club until it sadly folded in 2009. We will be forever grateful to James Conboy, Bobby Campbell, and Paddy Rooney for founding Philly’s original club and opening the door for Celtic supporters in our fine city all those years ago.

Memberships for the 2023-2024 season are $100.

We are located in the Plough & The Stars Irish Pub located at 123 Chestnut Street in Old City, Philadelphia.