125-677: Windsor Park , officially the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park after the 2015 renovation and also known as The National Stadium , and occasionally nicknamed in Irish-language media as Páirc Windsor , is a football stadium in Belfast , Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Linfield who own the land the stadium is built on, while the Irish Football Association own and operate
250-518: A Euro 2016 qualifying game against Finland , large cracks were found in the West Stand; this part of the stadium was scheduled for renovation rather than replacement as part of the redevelopment project. As a consequence, the area around the stand had to be sealed off, and led to the 2015 Irish Cup Final being moved to The Oval . The preliminary structural report delivered to the IFA recommended that
375-455: A Phil Neal penalty and a Toshack strike. The home leg which followed was played before a crowd hanging from the rafters that would undoubtedly give the current health and safety legislators a heart attack. The Crues put up a dogged performance – Keegan scored in the 34th minute, and the Crues battled until the final ten minutes, when Liverpool's superior fitness told with four goals coming in
500-547: A unique dialect of Irish developed before falling out of use in the early 20th century. With a writing system , Ogham , dating back to at least the 4th century AD, which was gradually replaced by Latin script since the 5th century AD, Irish has one of the oldest vernacular literatures in Western Europe . On the island, the language has three major dialects: Connacht , Munster and Ulster Irish . All three have distinctions in their speech and orthography . There
625-428: A 1–4 defeat to Linfield at Windsor Park , and their first victory came on 10 December away to Ballymena United by 3–1, but the side would have to wait until 1 April 1950 for the first league win at Seaview, with a 4–1 victory over Glenavon . The season was tough going for the 'Hatchetmen', as they were also known, and they had to apply for re-election after finishing in 11th place out of 12 clubs. As has always been
750-409: A 4G artificial pitch , endorsed by UEFA . The move has ensured that postponements due to bad weather have not affected Seaview as much as some other grounds. Other clubs have since followed suit, with Cliftonville installing a 3G artificial pitch the following year and Bangor in 2013. In 2010, after European funding was declined, funding was secured from a private investor for the club to move to
875-717: A bargaining chip during government formation in Northern Ireland, prompting protests from organisations and groups such as An Dream Dearg . Irish became an official language of the EU on 1 January 2007, meaning that MEPs with Irish fluency can now speak the language in the European Parliament and at committees, although in the case of the latter they have to give prior notice to a simultaneous interpreter in order to ensure that what they say can be interpreted into other languages. While an official language of
1000-575: A better future for Ireland and all her citizens." The Strategy was produced on 21 December 2010 and will stay in action until 2030; it aims to target language vitality and revitalization of the Irish language. The 30-page document published by the Government of Ireland details the objectives it plans to work towards in an attempt to preserve and promote both the Irish language and the Gaeltacht. It
1125-533: A close, with Dublin-based player-managers Aaron Callaghan and Martin Murray both resigning after one year apiece in charge. Callaghan managed to lead the club to third place in his sole season in charge, but it would be many years before the Crues would challenge at such a high level again. Former player Gary McCartney took over the managerial reins in July 2000. The team narrowly retained Premier Division status after
1250-478: A cultural and social force. Irish speakers often insisted on using the language in law courts (even when they knew English), and Irish was also common in commercial transactions. The language was heavily implicated in the "devotional revolution" which marked the standardisation of Catholic religious practice and was also widely used in a political context. Down to the time of the Great Famine and even afterwards,
1375-553: A degree course in the NUI federal system to pass the subject of Irish in the Leaving Certificate or GCE / GCSE examinations. Exemptions are made from this requirement for students who were born or completed primary education outside of Ireland, and students diagnosed with dyslexia . NUI Galway is required to appoint people who are competent in the Irish language, as long as they are also competent in all other aspects of
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#17327811736431500-460: A fully recognised EU language for the first time in the state's history. Before Irish became an official language it was afforded the status of treaty language and only the highest-level documents of the EU were made available in Irish. The Irish language was carried abroad in the modern period by a vast diaspora , chiefly to Great Britain and North America, but also to Australia , New Zealand and Argentina . The first large movements began in
1625-463: A major leisure development at Sydenham in east Belfast. The plans for the multi-purpose stadium at the Maze site was strongly protested by essentially all the Northern Ireland match-going supporters. Various petitions in opposition to the suggestion, as well as organised displays of opposition at matches and the presentation counter-proposals, were arranged by Supporters Clubs in a bid to block any move to
1750-460: A nail-biting play-off success over Lisburn Distillery thanks to a hat-trick from veteran Stephen Baxter in May 2001 but McCartney resigned just over twelve months later because of the limited budget at his disposal. Popular veteran defender Alan Dornan was appointed as McCartney's successor at the end of June 2002 and the side retained Premier Division status that season under his guidance, although
1875-453: A name of more international significance should be adopted and he suggested "Crusaders", after the medieval Christian knights . Initially, the club was only able to undertake friendly fixtures until it was formally admitted to one of the local junior leagues. Players were compelled to pay a match fee of two pence before they could take the field; a strict "no pay, no play" club policy was enforced. The very first competitive game of which there
2000-505: A new headquarters facility for the IFA . In February 2013, planning permission for the redevelopment was granted, with the estimated cost of the project around £29.2 million, of which £25.2 million would come from government funding. It was planned for the work to begin in September 2013. Two months later however, an application for leave for judicial review of the government funding
2125-585: A paper suggested that within a generation, non-Gaeltacht habitual users of Irish might typically be members of an urban, middle class, and highly educated minority. Parliamentary legislation is supposed to be available in both Irish and English but is frequently only available in English. This is notwithstanding that Article 25.4 of the Constitution of Ireland requires that an "official translation" of any law in one official language be provided immediately in
2250-484: A partnership with fellow North Belfast club Newington in a cross-community initiative, which saw Newington play their home matches at Seaview. This became their permanent venue for home matches in 2011. As a result, Crusaders entered Europe for the first time in 12 years and faced Macedonian side FK Rabotnički in the Europa League second qualifying round. The game was drawn 1–1 with David Rainey scoring on
2375-575: A pass in Leaving Certificate Irish or English, and receive lessons in Irish during their two years of training. Official documents of the Irish government must be published in both Irish and English or Irish alone (in accordance with the Official Languages Act 2003, enforced by An Coimisinéir Teanga , the Irish language ombudsman). The National University of Ireland requires all students wishing to embark on
2500-600: A penalty shoot out. Windsor Park held one group stage match of the 2000 Rugby League World Cup . Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish : Gaeilge ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family . It is a member of the Goidelic language group of the Insular Celtic sub branch of
2625-471: A record of going through the whole league campaign unbeaten at home, a feat which was repeated 40 years later in the 2012–13 season . This led to the club's first ever participation in the European Cup , in which they faced Dinamo Bucharest and had the misfortune of setting the record for a defeat in that competition, losing 0–11 in the away leg on 3 October 1973. In the 1975–76 season the Crues won
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#17327811736432750-625: A religious context. An Irish translation of the Old Testament by Leinsterman Muircheartach Ó Cíonga , commissioned by Bishop Bedell , was published after 1685 along with a translation of the New Testament. Otherwise, Anglicisation was seen as synonymous with 'civilising' the native Irish. Currently, modern day Irish speakers in the church are pushing for language revival. It has been estimated that there were around 800,000 monoglot Irish speakers in 1800, which dropped to 320,000 by
2875-614: A row from 1916 to 1918) until their election to the Irish Intermediate League in 1921. The Crues rapidly became one of the top intermediate sides in the country, and won an impressive collection of trophies, including the Intermediate League championship six times in ten years from 1923 to 1933. In addition, the side were very successful in the top junior cup competition, the Steel & Sons Cup , winning
3000-550: A second time in a row, once again beating Ballymena United, this time 4–0. During the 2023–24 season, Baxter announced he would be stepping down as manager of the club, after 19 seasons in charge, at the end of the campaign. In Baxter's last domestic match, Crusaders defeated Coleraine 3–2 in the UEFA Conference League playoff final, to qualify for continental competition for the 12th time in 13 seasons. Former player and head of Crusaders academy Declan Caddell
3125-545: A wider meaning, including the Gaelic of Scotland and the Isle of Man , as well as of Ireland. When required by the context, these are distinguished as Gaeilge na hAlban , Gaeilge Mhanann and Gaeilge na hÉireann respectively. In English (including Hiberno-English ), the language is usually referred to as Irish , as well as Gaelic and Irish Gaelic . The term Irish Gaelic may be seen when English speakers discuss
3250-589: Is a semi-professional Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Premiership . The club, founded in 1898, is based in north Belfast and plays its home matches at Seaview . Crusaders originally played as a junior level team until 1931. They then played intermediate level football until 1949, and during that time they were one of the top non-senior teams in the country, winning the Irish Intermediate League nine times and
3375-452: Is also An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , a standardised written form devised by a parliamentary commission in the 1950s. The traditional Irish alphabet , a variant of the Latin alphabet with 18 letters , has been succeeded by the standard Latin alphabet (albeit with 7–8 letters used primarily in loanwords ). Irish has constitutional status as the national and first official language of
3500-557: Is any existing written record was on 10 December 1898. It came in the North Belfast Alliance against opponents named Bedford at Alexandra Park and the report states that, "after a splendid game Crusaders won by 5 to 2." Crusaders went on to compete in the Dunville Alliance, Ormeau Junior Alliance, Alexandra Alliance, Woodvale Alliance and Irish Football Alliance (the latter of which they won three years in
3625-511: Is divided into four separate phases with the intention of improving 9 main areas of action including: The general goal for this strategy was to increase the number of daily speakers from 83,000 to 250,000 by the end of its run. By 2022, the number of such speakers had fallen to 71,968. Before the partition of Ireland in 1921, Irish was recognised as a school subject and as "Celtic" in some third level institutions. Between 1921 and 1972, Northern Ireland had devolved government. During those years
3750-587: Is only in Gaeltacht areas that Irish continues to be spoken as a community vernacular to some extent. According to data compiled by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht , Sport and Media , only 1/4 of households in Gaeltacht areas are fluent in Irish. The author of a detailed analysis of the survey, Donncha Ó hÉallaithe of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology , described
3875-412: Is still spoken daily to some extent as a first language . These regions are known individually and collectively as the Gaeltacht (plural Gaeltachtaí ). While the fluent Irish speakers of these areas, whose numbers have been estimated at 20–30,000, are a minority of the total number of fluent Irish speakers, they represent a higher concentration of Irish speakers than other parts of the country and it
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4000-721: The Fíor-Ghaeltacht (true Gaeltacht ), a term originally officially applied to areas where over 50% of the population spoke Irish. There are Gaeltacht regions in the following counties: Gweedore ( Gaoth Dobhair ), County Donegal, is the largest Gaeltacht parish in Ireland. Irish language summer colleges in the Gaeltacht are attended by tens of thousands of teenagers annually. Students live with Gaeltacht families, attend classes, participate in sports, go to céilithe and are obliged to speak Irish. All aspects of Irish culture and tradition are encouraged. The Act
4125-410: The 2023 calendar year . The stadium hosted the finals of the 2005 and 2024 UEFA European Under-19 Championships . Owing to the increasingly poor condition of Windsor Park, various proposals for its replacement were mooted, including the idea of a multi-purpose stadium hosting football, rugby union and Gaelic games on the site of the former Maze prison , or a national stadium built as part of
4250-573: The Irish Cup finals of 1967 and 1968 against the might of Glentoran and Linfield respectively. This led to Crusaders' first sojourn into European competition , against Valencia CF in August 1967. Also in 1968, they narrowly missed out on winning the Blaxnit Cup and becoming champions of all of Ireland , losing 3–4 on aggregate to Shamrock Rovers . The 1960s also saw the emergence of some of
4375-631: The Republic of Ireland , and is also an official language of Northern Ireland and among the official languages of the European Union . The public body Foras na Gaeilge is responsible for the promotion of the language throughout the island. Irish has no regulatory body but An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , the standard written form, is guided by a parliamentary service and new vocabulary by a voluntary committee with university input. In An Caighdeán Oifigiúil ("The Official [Written] Standard ")
4500-503: The Steel & Sons Cup on seven occasions. After the withdrawal of Belfast Celtic , Crusaders were elected to the top level in their place, in time for the start of the 1949–50 season . Since then, the club has won 31 senior trophies; seven league titles , six Irish Cups , two League Cups , eight County Antrim Shields , one Setanta Sports Cup , one Charity Shield , two Gold Cups , three Ulster Cups and one Carlsberg Cup . The club's traditional kit colours are red and black, and
4625-525: The United Kingdom . Another black day shadowed the club on 12 January 1980, when RUC constable David Purse was shot dead by an IRA gunman during a match with Portadown – the only murder at a football ground during the Troubles. Johnston had left the club in 1977, and after a two-year spell of management by ex-player Norman Pavis, Ian Russell took charge of the club in 1979. While there
4750-703: The insurance on the old facility. The new structure was intended to be ready in time for Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifier against San Marino in October 2016. Windsor Park was selected as the host of the 2021 UEFA Super Cup by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting in Ljubljana , Slovenia, on 24 September 2019. The match was played on 11 August 2021 between 2020–21 UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea and 2020–21 UEFA Europa League winners Villarreal with Chelsea winning on
4875-634: The 17th century, largely as a result of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland , which saw many Irish sent to the West Indies . Irish emigration to the United States was well established by the 18th century, and was reinforced in the 1840s by thousands fleeing from the Famine . This flight also affected Britain. Up until that time most emigrants spoke Irish as their first language, though English
5000-751: The 1930s, to a design made by the Scottish architect Archibald Leitch . It had one main seated stand – the Grandstand, later known as the South Stand – with "reserved" terracing in front, and a large open terrace behind the goal to the west called the Spion Kop . To the north, there was a long covered terrace – the "unreserved" terracing – and behind the eastern goal at the Railway End another covered terrace. Windsor Park's peak capacity in this format
5125-789: The 1998 Good Friday Agreement , the language gradually received a degree of formal recognition in Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom, and then, in 2003, by the British government's ratification in respect of the language of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages . In the 2006 St Andrews Agreement the British government promised to enact legislation to promote the language and in 2022 it approved legislation to recognise Irish as an official language alongside English. The bill received royal assent on 6 December 2022. The Irish language has often been used as
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5250-400: The 2021 census of Northern Ireland , 43,557 individuals stated they spoke Irish on a daily basis, 26,286 spoke it on a weekly basis, 47,153 spoke it less often than weekly, and 9,758 said they could speak Irish, but never spoke it. From 2006 to 2008, over 22,000 Irish Americans reported speaking Irish as their first language at home, with several times that number claiming "some knowledge" of
5375-403: The 6th century, used the Latin alphabet and is attested primarily in marginalia to Latin manuscripts. During this time, the Irish language absorbed some Latin words, some via Old Welsh , including ecclesiastical terms : examples are easpag (bishop) from episcopus , and Domhnach (Sunday, from dominica ). By the 10th century, Old Irish had evolved into Middle Irish , which
5500-536: The 89th minute. On 23 July 2009 in their second leg encounter with FK Rabotnicki in Macedonia they lost the game 4–2 and exited the competition 5–3 on aggregate. In a move endorsed by UEFA President Michel Platini , the club changed from a grass pitch to a 4G-synthetic pitch. The artificial football turf pitch was manufactured by Act Global. They played their first game on the new pitch against Glentoran on 14 November 2009. This move has turned out to be fruitful for
5625-571: The Act all detailing different aspects of the use of Irish in official documentation and communication. Included in these sections are subjects such as Irish language use in official courts, official publications, and placenames. The Act was recently amended in December 2019 in order to strengthen the already preexisting legislation. All changes made took into account data collected from online surveys and written submissions. The Official Languages Scheme
5750-539: The Bulgarian visitors, thanks to a strike from Swierczok and an own goal from left-back Rodney Brown. After an uneventful league campaign, the Crues completed a cup double by winning the County Antrim Shield with a 4–3 victory over Linfield, and the Irish Cup with a 3–0 victory over Ballinamallard United . In the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League , Crusaders beat B36 Tórshavn 5–2 on aggregate to reach
5875-475: The Crues knocked out senior sides Larne and Belfast Celtic before being halted by Glentoran at The Oval in the semi-finals (who also went on to be champions that year). They reached the semi-finals once again in 1927, losing 2–4 at home to derby rivals Cliftonville. The Crues also reached the final of the Belfast Charities Cup in 1923 (losing to Glentoran), also an impressive achievement as
6000-456: The Crues to their sole cup triumph during the decade, with the club winning the Gold Cup for the first time in the 1985–86 season. Jackson left in 1986 and new manager Jackie Hutton had no money with which to buy players but he did the club a great service when he somehow completed the deal which brought Roy Walker , initially as a player, to Seaview in 1988. Hutton was quick to recognise
6125-471: The European Union , only co-decision regulations were available until 2022, due to a five-year derogation, requested by the Irish Government when negotiating the language's new official status. The Irish government had committed itself to train the necessary number of translators and interpreters and to bear the related costs. This derogation ultimately came to an end on 1 January 2022, making Irish
6250-474: The Irish Cup where they played Linfield at Windsor Park. Crusaders went 1–0 up through Declan Caddell, but goals from Peter Thompson and Mark McAllister condemned the Crues to defeat. The Crues then entered the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League and received their biggest draw since the famous game against Liverpool 35 years before, as the side drew Premier League team Fulham in the second qualifying round. In
6375-549: The Irish language policy followed by Irish governments as a "complete and absolute disaster". The Irish Times , referring to his analysis published in the Irish language newspaper Foinse , quoted him as follows: "It is an absolute indictment of successive Irish Governments that at the foundation of the Irish State there were 250,000 fluent Irish speakers living in Irish-speaking or semi Irish-speaking areas, but
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#17327811736436500-485: The Maze. In September 2009, the Irish Football Association (IFA) announced that its preferred option was to remain at a redeveloped Windsor Park. In 2011, the Northern Ireland Executive allocated £138m for a major programme of stadium redevelopment throughout Northern Ireland, with £28m allocated to the redevelopment of Windsor Park into a 20,000-capacity all-seater stadium. In 2012, details of
6625-620: The Republic of Ireland ), new appointees to the Civil Service of the Republic of Ireland , including postal workers , tax collectors , agricultural inspectors, Garda Síochána (police), etc., were required to have some proficiency in Irish. By law, a Garda who was addressed in Irish had to respond in Irish as well. In 1974, in part through the actions of protest organisations like the Language Freedom Movement ,
6750-746: The beginning of the following academic year. For a number of years there has been vigorous debate in political, academic and other circles about the failure of most students in English-medium schools to achieve competence in Irish, even after fourteen years of teaching as one of the three main subjects. The concomitant decline in the number of traditional native speakers has also been a cause of great concern. In 2007, filmmaker Manchán Magan found few Irish speakers in Dublin , and faced incredulity when trying to get by speaking only Irish in Dublin. He
6875-572: The case, however, Crusaders never lacked determination. On 17 May 1952 they participated in their first senior final, the Festival of Britain Cup final, which they lost 0–3 to Ballymena United. Under the player-managership of Jackie Vernon they recovered to win their first senior trophy in the 1953–54 season by defeating Linfield 2–1 in the final of the Ulster Cup . The 1950s were not easy in spite of
7000-431: The club is believed to have been held at 182 North Queen Street, Belfast, the home of Thomas Palmer who, along with James McEldowney, John Hume and Thomas Wade, was a member of the original club committee. Various names were suggested for the club, including 'Rowan Star', 'Cultra United', 'Mervue Wanderers', 'Moyola' (all names of local streets), and others such as 'Queen's Rovers', and the 'Lilliputians'. Thomas Palmer felt
7125-399: The club reached the final of the 2021–22 Irish Cup . Trailing 1-0 for most of the match, Josh Robinson equalised in the last minute of the game to force extra time, and with penalty kicks approaching at the end of extra time, substitute Johnny McMurray scored the winning goal with virtually the last kick of the game to seal an extraordinary victory. In May 2023, Crusaders won the Irish cup for
7250-515: The club, with matches at Seaview being the only games in Northern Ireland to survive the weather over the Christmas period. The same season the side won their second major trophy in a year, picking up the County Antrim Shield after a 3–2 extra time victory over Linfield. In the 2010–11 season Crusaders challenged Linfield for the league title, after being 13 points behind at one stage. They ended up as runners up. The Crues also reached final of
7375-414: The competition on seven occasions as a junior side (the first team would win the same cup again many years later in 2005, after relegation to intermediate football). The side also reached the Irish Cup semi finals three times in the 1920s. The first came in the 1923–24 season, where they were defeated by that season's Irish League champions Queen's Island in a replay at Pirrie Park. In the 1924–25 season
7500-677: The competition was open to all senior clubs in Belfast and the surrounding area. Despite these feats, repeated applications for entry to the senior Irish League were turned down. The frustration at the club was such that serious consideration was given to making membership applications either to the Scottish Football League or to the League of Ireland . However, the Second World War intervened and no football at all
7625-484: The current manager is former player Stephen Baxter , who is now the club's longest serving manager, having been appointed in 2005. The club's closest rivals are Cliftonville , with whom they contest the North Belfast derby . Rivalries also exist with other Belfast sides such as Linfield and Glentoran . Crusaders Football Club was formed in the year 1898, although the exact date is unknown. The first meeting of
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#17327811736437750-503: The damaged stand be demolished. Having accepted this report, the IFA confirmed that the West Stand would be demolished in time to ensure the safety of the stadium for Northern Ireland's qualifier against Romania on 10 June, as well as stating that work on the redevelopment project would be accelerated so that the stadium could meet its 10,000 planned capacity for the game. Plans for a new West Stand were approved in November 2015, funded by
7875-414: The end of the famine, and under 17,000 by 1911. Irish is recognised by the Constitution of Ireland as the national and first official language of Republic of Ireland (English being the other official language). Despite this, almost all government business and legislative debate is conducted in English. In 1938, the founder of Conradh na Gaeilge (Gaelic League), Douglas Hyde , was inaugurated as
8000-562: The family and is indigenous to the island of Ireland . It was the majority of the population's first language until the 19th century, when English gradually became dominant, particularly in the last decades of the century, in what is sometimes characterised as a result of linguistic imperialism . Today, Irish is still commonly spoken as a first language in Ireland's Gaeltacht regions, in which 2% of Ireland's population lived in 2022. The total number of people (aged 3 and over) in Ireland who declared they could speak Irish in April 2022
8125-409: The final ten minutes through David Johnson (2), Terry McDermott , and Steve Heighway . However the 1970s also saw The Troubles begin to affect Irish League football, with two incidents in particular affecting the football club. On 21 August 1979 there were more than 1,900 police officers on duty for a match between Crusaders and Cliftonville, more than has ever been recorded at a football match in
8250-430: The first President of Ireland . The record of his delivering his inaugural Declaration of Office in Roscommon Irish is one of only a few recordings of that dialect. In the 2016 census, 10.5% of respondents stated that they spoke Irish, either daily or weekly, while over 70,000 people (4.2%) speak it as a habitual daily means of communication. From the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922 (see History of
8375-496: The first qualifying round of the 2018–19 Champions League , Crusaders received their biggest European draw since facing Fulham 7 years earlier, being drawn against European group stage regulars and Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad . However, the tie turned out to be no contest as the Crues were thrashed 7–0 at the Ludogorets Arena , with goals from Marcelinho , Claudiu Keșerü and a 7-minute hat-trick from substitute Jakub Swierczok . The return leg at Seaview then ended 2–0 to
8500-409: The first time as the club looked to nurture and develop local talent in the area. Roy Walker suddenly resigned as manager in May 1998, just prior to the club's centenary dinner celebrations at Belfast City Hall . He was the longest-serving manager in the club's history until surpassed by Stephen Baxter in October 2013. Subsequently, a lack of funds saw the Seaview fortunes decline as the decade came to
8625-403: The first time in their history, after a 3–1 victory over Cliftonville at Solitude on 19 April 2016. In the following season they narrowly missed out on winning the Gibson Cup for the 3rd time in a row, finishing 2nd to Linfield after a dramatic dip in Crusaders' form late in the season, with a 1–0 defeat to David Healy's side at Windsor Park on 8 April 2017 proving to be the match that decided
8750-407: The first time, repeating the feat in 1965 with a 6–0 victory over Larne (this was the joint-biggest margin of victory in the final of the competition until Linfields 9–1 victory over Bangor in 1973). With Jimmy Murdough as coach they also picked up another Ulster Cup final win on 1 October 1963, with a reply victory of 1–0 over Glenavon. These successes were overshadowed by two unexpected victories in
8875-423: The following year under Baxter by winning the IFA Intermediate League , the Intermediate League Cup, and Steel & Sons Cup . After their first season back in the top flight after promotion, the Hatchetmen finished in a creditable 6th place, after briefly topping the table at the beginning of the season. In the 2007–08 season, the Crues finished in 7th position in the League after a somewhat inconsistent start to
9000-446: The funding until the IFA sorted out the "governance issues" surrounding David Martin's return to the role of deputy president. In December 2013, three months after the work was originally scheduled to begin, the redevelopment was finally given the green light, with the sports minister signing off on £31 million of funding to complete the project. In May 2014, work finally got under way on the stadium redevelopment. In March 2015, following
9125-541: The greatest players in Crusaders' history, such as Albert Campbell , (who was the club's most capped international player until surpassed by Colin Coates ), Danny Trainor , Joe Meldrum, Walter McFarland and Danny Hale, who scored an incredible 143 goals in just four seasons, including a club record of 55 goals in the 1965–66 season , which still stands to this day. Jimmy Todd had won the second of those Irish Cups with
9250-730: The ground all-seater and one of the most modern sports stadiums in Northern Ireland . That same season they won the Irish League Cup , defeating Coleraine 1–0 at the Ballymena Showgrounds thanks to a Chris Morrow strike. Crusaders also became champions of Ireland for the first time, after defeating Derry City in the 2012 Setanta Cup Final 5–4 in a penalty shootout after a 2–2 draw after extra time. Captain Colin Coates scored both goals during
9375-550: The home tie the side put up a brave fight, with new signing Timmy Adamson scoring an equalising goal and striking the bar with the score poised at 1–1, before eventually succumbing 1–3. In the second leg, the Premier League side proved too strong for the Hatchetmen, as they dominated the game and won 4–0. At the same time, Seaview underwent extensive renovation, with two new stands and new seating installed, making
9500-716: The language family, is derived from the Old Irish term. Endonyms of the language in the various modern Irish dialects include: Gaeilge [ˈɡeːlʲɟə] in Galway, Gaeilg / Gaeilic / Gaeilig [ˈɡeːlʲəc] in Mayo and Ulster , Gaelainn / Gaoluinn [ˈɡeːl̪ˠən̠ʲ] in West/Cork, Kerry Munster , as well as Gaedhealaing in mid and East Kerry/Cork and Waterford Munster to reflect local pronunciation. Gaeilge also has
9625-410: The language was in use by all classes, Irish being an urban as well as a rural language. This linguistic dynamism was reflected in the efforts of certain public intellectuals to counter the decline of the language. At the end of the 19th century, they launched the Gaelic revival in an attempt to encourage the learning and use of Irish, although few adult learners mastered the language. The vehicle of
9750-476: The language. For most of recorded Irish history , Irish was the dominant language of the Irish people , who took it with them to other regions , such as Scotland and the Isle of Man , where Middle Irish gave rise to Scottish Gaelic and Manx . It was also, for a period, spoken widely across Canada , with an estimated 200,000–250,000 daily Canadian speakers of Irish in 1890. On the island of Newfoundland ,
9875-463: The leadership qualities in Walker and saw him as his potential successor. Walker took over as player-manager in September 1989, two years after his arrival as a player. One of his first tasks was to apply for re-election as the Crues finished 13th out of 14 clubs. Notable players to begin their association with the club during this era were the likes of Sid Burrows , Glenn Hunter and Kirk Hunter . At
10000-515: The league for the second time, largely aided by the goalscoring of Ronnie McAteer who scored 20 league goals in 22 games. Sandwiched in between these successes was a County Antrim Shield and Carlsberg Cup success in 1973–74. The second championship triumph resulted in the never-to-be-forgotten European Cup-tie with Liverpool which saw the brave Cruemen fall to the might of Kevin Keegan and John Toshack among others at Anfield by just 0–2 through
10125-557: The league title. The 2016–17 season was the first since 2013–14 that Crusaders failed to win any silverware. However, the Hatchetmen bounced back in the 2017–18 season , regaining the Gibson Cup in a title race that went to the final day of the season. In the end, it was a 2–1 victory at the Ballymena Showgrounds on 28 April 2018 that brought the league title back to Seaview for the 3rd time in 4 years, thanks to goals from Philip Lowry and David Cushley , after Cathair Friel opened
10250-406: The league, going unbeaten from December to April and winning 12 of 13 games. A 1–0 derby victory away to Cliftonville thanks to a Paul Heatley goal all but sealed the title, with a 2–0 home win the following week against Glentoran with goals from Declan Caddell and yet another from Heatley confirming the Gibson Cup's place at Seaview. In the 2015–16 season , Crusaders retained the league title for
10375-429: The match, with Coates, Chris Morrow , Matthew Snoddy, Stuart Dallas and Gareth McKeown successfully converting their penalties. Crusaders played Cliftonville on 26 January 2013 in the Irish League Cup final at Windsor Park losing 0–4 – a joint-record defeat in the competition's final. The following season, the same two teams reached the final, playing out a drab 0–0 draw at Solitude, with Cliftonville retaining
10500-582: The mid-18th century, English was becoming a language of the Catholic middle class, the Catholic Church and public intellectuals, especially in the east of the country. Increasingly, as the value of English became apparent, parents sanctioned the prohibition of Irish in schools. Increasing interest in emigrating to the United States and Canada was also a driver, as fluency in English allowed
10625-804: The name of the language is Gaeilge , from the South Connacht form, spelled Gaedhilge prior the spelling reform of 1948, which was originally the genitive of Gaedhealg , the form used in Classical Gaelic . The modern spelling results from the deletion of the silent ⟨dh⟩ in Gaedhilge . Older spellings include Gaoidhealg [ˈɡeːʝəlˠəɡ] in Classical Gaelic and Goídelc [ˈɡoiðʲelɡ] in Old Irish . Goidelic , used to refer to
10750-469: The new immigrants to get jobs in areas other than farming. An estimated one quarter to one third of US immigrants during the Great Famine were Irish speakers. Irish was not marginal to Ireland's modernisation in the 19th century, as is often assumed. In the first half of the century there were still around three million people for whom Irish was the primary language, and their numbers alone made them
10875-655: The number now is between 20,000 and 30,000." In the 1920s, when the Irish Free State was founded, Irish was still a vernacular in some western coastal areas. In the 1930s, areas where more than 25% of the population spoke Irish were classified as Gaeltacht . Today, the strongest Gaeltacht areas, numerically and socially, are those of South Connemara , the west of the Dingle Peninsula , and northwest Donegal, where many residents still use Irish as their primary language. These areas are often referred to as
11000-503: The other official language, if not already passed in both official languages. In November 2016, RTÉ reported that over 2.3 million people worldwide were learning Irish through the Duolingo app. Irish president Michael D. Higgins officially honoured several volunteer translators for developing the Irish edition, and said the push for Irish language rights remains an "unfinished project". There are rural areas of Ireland where Irish
11125-557: The political party holding power in the Stormont Parliament , the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), was hostile to the language. The context of this hostility was the use of the language by nationalists. In broadcasting, there was an exclusion on the reporting of minority cultural issues, and Irish was excluded from radio and television for almost the first fifty years of the previous devolved government. After
11250-406: The presence in the side of some excellent individuals and the end of the 1957–58 season saw another application for re-election. The decade also saw the emergence of Curry Mulholland , who represented the club from 1951 until 1960, setting a goalscoring record of 149 which would not be beaten until the 1990s. The 1960s brought much more success. On 17 May 1960 they won the County Antrim Shield for
11375-492: The relationship between the three Goidelic languages (Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx). Gaelic is a collective term for the Goidelic languages, and when the context is clear it may be used without qualification to refer to each language individually. When the context is specific but unclear, the term may be qualified, as Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic or Manx Gaelic. Historically the name "Erse" ( / ɜːr s / URS )
11500-432: The requirement for entrance to the public service was changed to proficiency in just one official language. Nevertheless, Irish remains a required subject of study in all schools in the Republic of Ireland that receive public money (see Education in the Republic of Ireland ). Teachers in primary schools must also pass a compulsory examination called Scrúdú Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge . As of 2005, Garda Síochána recruits need
11625-647: The revival was the Gaelic League ( Conradh na Gaeilge ), and particular emphasis was placed on the folk tradition, which in Irish is particularly rich. Efforts were also made to develop journalism and a modern literature. Although it has been noted that the Catholic Church played a role in the decline of the Irish language before the Gaelic Revival, the Protestant Church of Ireland also made only minor efforts to encourage use of Irish in
11750-500: The same time, local businessman Harry Corry , pumped some desperately needed sponsorship money into the club. As the revival began, southern businessman Tony O'Connell also became involved. Walker's sides – he dubbed them "the team with no boots" – went on to win nearly everything in sight whilst wealthier and bigger-supported clubs could only watch and wonder. There were two further championship titles won (1995 and 1997) whilst Crusaders also finished runners-up in 1993 (losing
11875-631: The scoring for Ballymena United and threatened to send the title to eventual runners-up Coleraine . Crusaders also won the County Antrim Shield at the Ballymena Showgrounds after a 4–2 victory over Ballymena United on 23 January 2018. Crusaders finished the season having scored an incredible 106 league goals, with over half of this tally coming from the attacking trio of Paul Heatley , Gavin Whyte and Jordan Owens. In
12000-490: The season. They appeared in two finals, losing both the County Antrim Shield 1–2 to Glentoran, and the Irish League Cup , 2–3 to Linfield. During 2008–09 season, they finished in the top three of the League for the first time in 10 years. The club also won their first Irish Cup final since 1968, thanks to a Mark Dickson goal, in a 1–0 victory over Cliftonville at Windsor Park on 9 May 2009. The same season, Crusaders began
12125-513: The second qualifying round, Crusaders bowed out against Swedish side IF Brommapojkarna after a 1–4 aggregate defeat. In cup competition, Crusaders reached the quarter-final of the Northern Ireland Football League Cup and the semi-final of the County Antrim Shield, losing both ties to Bangor , and the semi-final of the Irish Cup, losing out to Glentoran . Despite this, the side saved their best performances for
12250-480: The second qualifying round, where they faced English Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers . In the first leg at Molineux the Crues lost 2–0, before losing 4–1 at Seaview in the second leg. In March 2022 Crusaders members voted 236–36 at an EGM in favour of accepting investment by the IRAMA company, who were seeking to buy a majority stake in the club. This deal later fell through over tax issues. In May 2022,
12375-493: The senior Irish League in time for the start of the 1949–50 season. Their first competitive game as a senior club was on 20 August 1949 and resulted in a 1–0 City Cup win at Portadown – ex-Belfast Celtic striker Vincent Morrison, signed during that summer, had the honour of scoring the club's first ever goal as a senior club. Morrison was the club's top scorer of their first senior season with 11 goals in all competitions. The Crues' first league match took place on 26 November,
12500-517: The side in 1968, however by the early 1970s the Crues had declined slightly as the side of the 1960s broke up. Todd was replaced with Billy Johnston in early 1971, and he set about restructuring the squad. Under Johnston unprecedented success was to follow, with the Irish League championship trophy finding a home at Seaview in 1972–73 , with the attacking duo of Tommy Finney and Jackie Fullerton scoring 47 goals between them. The club also set
12625-463: The squad was very inexperienced and often included six or seven teenagers. The emphasis on youth continued in 2003–04 as the Crues achieved a mid-table finish, an improvement compared to preceding seasons. Dornan's next season in charge was not as successful. He was sacked just after midway through the season, as the Crues lay at the bottom of the table, despite having guided the team to the County Antrim Shield final, which they lost to Linfield. Dornan
12750-408: The stadium and pay Linfield an annual rental fee for the use of the land on behalf of the Northern Ireland national football team . The stadium is usually where the Irish Cup final is played. Named after the district in south Belfast in which it is located, Windsor Park was first opened in 1905, with a match between Linfield and Glentoran . The first major development of the stadium took place in
12875-515: The stadium's redevelopment were released. The plan would see Windsor Park become an 18,000 all-seater stadium with a series of phased works originally intended to begin in the summer of 2013. Plans included the demolition of both the Railway and South Stand structures to be replaced by new stands that would partially enclose the stadium, the complete renovation of the existing North and West Stands, and construction of both new conferencing facilities and
13000-520: The success revolving around the core of Kevin McKeown , Glenn Dunlop , Martin Murray , Sid Burrows , and the attacking duo of Glenn Hunter (who would go on to set a club goalscoring record of 157 goals) and Stephen Baxter . The team was affectionately known as the "God Squad", due to the large number of Christians in the playing squad and staff. In addition to the first team and the reserves, teams at under-16 and under-18 level were introduced for
13125-405: The title on goal difference ) and 1996. Other trophies won were the County Antrim Shield (1992), Ulster Cup (1993) and Gold Cup (1996). In turn, this meant more expeditions into Europe as the Crues took on teams from Switzerland , Denmark , Lithuania and Georgia within a five-year span. The team of the 1990s is regarded as one of the best in the history of the club, with a large part of
13250-637: The trophy by winning 3–2 on penalties. The 2014–15 season was a groundbreaking one for Crusaders. The season started with the side earning their first win in European competition for 18 years, defeating FK Ekranas of Lithuania in the UEFA Europa League 3–1 at home. In the return leg, Crusaders earned their first ever away victory in Europe, winning 2–1 thanks to two goals from Paul Heatley, and earning their first aggregate victory in Europe. In
13375-726: The vacancy to which they are appointed. This requirement is laid down by the University College Galway Act, 1929 (Section 3). In 2016, the university faced controversy when it announced the planned appointment of a president who did not speak Irish. Misneach staged protests against this decision. The following year the university announced that Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh , a fluent Irish speaker, would be its 13th president. He assumed office in January 2018; in June 2024, he announced he would be stepping down as president at
13500-594: The work of such writers as Geoffrey Keating , is said to date from the 17th century, and was the medium of popular literature from that time on. From the 18th century on, the language lost ground in the east of the country. The reasons behind this shift were complex but came down to a number of factors: The change was characterised by diglossia (two languages being used by the same community in different social and economic situations) and transitional bilingualism (monoglot Irish-speaking grandparents with bilingual children and monoglot English-speaking grandchildren). By
13625-465: Was 1,873,997, representing 40% of respondents, but of these, 472,887 said they never spoke it and a further 551,993 said they only spoke it within the education system. Linguistic analyses of Irish speakers are therefore based primarily on the number of daily users in Ireland outside the education system, which in 2022 was 20,261 in the Gaeltacht and 51,707 outside it, totalling 71,968. In response to
13750-542: Was 60,000. In the early 1960s, the seated Railway Stand was built at the Railway End, and in the early 1970s a social club and viewing lounge was constructed in the corner between the Railway Stand and the Grandstand. In the 1980s, the 'unreserved terrace' was demolished and replaced by a two-tier, 7000-seat North Stand. In the late 1990s, the Kop terrace was demolished and replaced with a 5000-seater Kop Stand. The Kop Stand
13875-531: Was also sometimes used in Scots and then in English to refer to Irish; as well as Scottish Gaelic. Written Irish is first attested in Ogham inscriptions from the 4th century AD, a stage of the language known as Primitive Irish . These writings have been found throughout Ireland and the west coast of Great Britain. Primitive Irish underwent a change into Old Irish through the 5th century. Old Irish, dating from
14000-723: Was announced as Baxter's successor in March 2024, and is due to take charge for the 2024–25 season. The team played at a variety of venues before settling at Seaview in 1921, which is still their home to this day. Earlier home venues included the Glen (which later became part of Alexandra Park), Simpson's Boiler Fields on the Cavehill Road , the Shore Road (opposite the Grove Leisure Centre) and Rokeby Park. Seaview
14125-471: Was destroyed in an arson attack. Since 1972, Seaview has been the venue for the Steel & Sons Cup Final, which is traditionally held on Christmas Day (unless the game falls on a Sunday). Only two finals have not been played at Seaview since then, the 1975 final and the 1984 final replay (both of which were played at Solitude). In 2009, Crusaders became the first team in the Irish League to install
14250-668: Was enacted 1 July 2019 and is an 18-page document that adheres to the guidelines of the Official Languages Act 2003 . The purpose of the Scheme is to provide services through the mediums of Irish and/or English. According to the Department of the Taoiseach, it is meant to "develop a sustainable economy and a successful society, to pursue Ireland's interests abroad, to implement the Government's Programme and to build
14375-513: Was establishing itself as the primary language. Irish speakers had first arrived in Australia in the late 18th century as convicts and soldiers, and many Irish-speaking settlers followed, particularly in the 1860s. New Zealand also received some of this influx. Argentina was the only non-English-speaking country to receive large numbers of Irish emigrants, and there were few Irish speakers among them. Crusaders F.C. Crusaders Football Club
14500-403: Was great promise shown initially during Russell's spell, with the club reaching both the County Antrim Shield and Irish Cup final in 1980, they did not build on this and Russell left in 1983. Although performances on the pitch in the 1980s were steady, they certainly were not spectacular and the club paid the penalty for not building on earlier successes. Tommy Jackson took over in 1983, and led
14625-522: Was known as the Alex Russell Stand from 2004 to 2008 in honour of Linfield's former goalkeeper and coach and one-time Northern Ireland international, but reverted to being named 'The Kop Stand' following this. In the 2023–24 league season, Linfield drew an average NIFL home attendance of 3,126, the highest in the league. Their highest home attendance was 9,047 in that league season. The Northern Ireland national team drew an average of 17,504 in
14750-414: Was lodged by Crusaders , who claimed that it was against European Union competition laws and also a form of state aid to Linfield. In a hearing that took place on 22 May 2013, Crusaders' request was granted, after the judge ruled that they had presented an arguable case that the redevelopment could be classified as state aid towards Linfield. The aspect of the challenge concerning competition law however,
14875-489: Was officially opened on 3 September 1921 by William Grant MP , prior to kick-off in a 3–1 Intermediate League fixture victory against Cliftonville Olympic . In July 1966 the original social club, dressing rooms and administration areas were destroyed by fire. They were replaced in 1970 by the present bigger and better facilities. Lisburn Distillery (known as Distillery prior to 1999) shared Seaview with Crusaders from 1971 until 1979, after their original Grosvenor Park home
15000-474: Was passed 14 July 2003 with the main purpose of improving the number and quality of public services delivered in Irish by the government and other public bodies. Compliance with the Act is monitored by the An Coimisinéir Teanga (Irish Language Commissioner) which was established in 2004 and any complaints or concerns pertaining to the Act are brought to them. There are 35 sections included in
15125-404: Was played by the Crues between April 1941 and September 1945. Crusaders began competing once more in the Intermediate League after the war, beginning with the 1945–46 season. Crusaders won the 1948–49 Intermediate League with a record number of points, and coupled with the vacancy created by the dramatic withdrawal of Belfast Celtic from the senior ranks in 1949, Crusaders were finally elected to
15250-693: Was spoken throughout Ireland, Isle of Man and parts of Scotland . It is the language of a large corpus of literature, including the Ulster Cycle . From the 12th century, Middle Irish began to evolve into modern Irish in Ireland, into Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, and into the Manx language in the Isle of Man . Early Modern Irish , dating from the 13th century, was the basis of the literary language of both Ireland and Gaelic-speaking Scotland. Modern Irish, sometimes called Late Modern Irish, as attested in
15375-544: Was the first ever Crusaders manager to be sacked. Former striker and fans' favourite Stephen Baxter was appointed as manager but despite an improvement in results, he could not keep the club in the Premier League, with the Crues losing out to Glenavon in a relegation play-off, the first ever Premier League team to lose to a First Division side in the play-offs. The relegation was the first time Crusaders had ever been relegated from any league, and meant an end to 56 consecutive seasons of senior football. They immediately bounced back
15500-464: Was thrown out. In July 2013, Crusaders agreed to a possible settlement brought forward by the judicial review. The details of the settlement were not forthcoming, but Crusaders said that it had the "potential to benefit the entirety of the football family" . In September 2013, sports minister Carál Ní Chuilín said that she was still committed to making sure the redevelopment went ahead as scheduled, after previously stating that she would not sign off on
15625-442: Was unable to accomplish some everyday tasks, as portrayed in his documentary No Béarla . There is, however, a growing body of Irish speakers in urban areas, particularly in Dublin. Many have been educated in schools in which Irish is the language of instruction. Such schools are known as Gaelscoileanna at primary level. These Irish-medium schools report some better outcomes for students than English-medium schools. In 2009,
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