Big-hearted Celtic FC players have met fans in North Belfast at an event organised by a local football club. The Hoops’ stars Anthony Stokes, Paddy McCourt, Mark Wilson and Niall McGinn were the guests of Ardoyne’s Shamrock FC, and arrived at the club to present end-of-season awards to local players last Saturday evening.

However, the club also opened their doors to scores of fans who filed in to meet their heroes who were happy to chat with locals and pose for photos with life-long Celtic supporters.

Shamrock player Conor Stiobhard thanked the players for taking time out and coming to Ardoyne and the local fans for attending.

“We had a fantastic turnout of over 100 fans coming to meet the players,” he said. “The visiting players presented awards to our own team members. As a footballer it’s a great honour to be handed an award from Celtic stars. However, Shamrock FC is very much a community club, and that’s why we invited locals to come and join us and meet their heroes who were more than happy to chat with their fans.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without the help of football agent Gerry Carlisle, who organised the players’ visit. It’s events like this that make the Shamrock club so popular with our young people in the area. Its roots go deep, and it’s fantastic to be able to maintain such strong links with Celtic who I don’t have to remind anyone are incredibly popular in Ardoyne and across North Belfast.”