Forgive me for a wee interlope guys

[Stu]

Just interested how you NI boys and girls came to be Hibbies? Parentage, moved over there, just a general interest in a team of Irish origin but without all the bile?

How do you guys stack up on this one?

Best regards,
Stu

[Purple & Green]

That reminds me Conor, I'll have to sort out my membership - partly because there's nae feckin branches in Edinburgh any more!

In case you wondered Stu: I've got a Norn Iron granny

[I Ate JamTarts]

As a kid who was always told George Best was the greatest footballer ever, his signing brought hibs to my attention, and from that my interest grew and grew. Hibernian Go Bragh

[Northern Ireland Hibby]

Originally Posted by Bobby S

That reminds me Conor, I'll have to sort out my membership - partly because there's nae feckin branches in Edinburgh any more!

In case you wondered Stu: I've got a Norn Iron granny

Nothing to sort Bobby - PM me a reminder of your email address and I'll be happy to copy you in on any supporters' club emails. That's as formal as membership of NI Hibs gets - a few emails all leading to various kinds of p1sh-ups. Most of the updates and day to day stuff gets done on this forum or in the pub in any case.

Makes a welcome change for someone to have Norn Iron rents - I always wonder when I talk to Americans how we ever found room on this island for their millions of relatives!

NIH

[Northern Ireland Hibby]

Originally Posted by stu in nottingham

Just interested how you NI boys and girls came to be Hibbies? Parentage, moved over there, just a general interest in a team of Irish origin but without all the bile?

How do you guys stack up on this one?

Best regards,
Stu

Very good to hear from you Stu (international Hibby and my personal running coach for on the forum who don't know him).

I have a deep afflication for the Hibs probably for four reasons:

1, A process of elimination. All the other teams were too insignificant or too sectarian to be worthy. Aside from the Old Firm and H**rts, I always had a total dislike of Aberdeen which I still can't explain.

2, Fraternity/brotherhood/comradeship - I was out on the p1sh in Edinburgh one night in the late 90s and was told that a Hibs game was on. Took myself along there and got chatting to a bunch of lads around me in the middle of the East Stand. I was welcomed like a VIP and they organised a place to meet me every fortnight and travel to away games as well as welcomed me into their Saturday night 'post-match session up the toon'. To this day I'd say that Hibbys themselves are the team's best selling point for to potential supporters.

3, History - One read of 'The Making of Hibernian' and you're hooked.

4, Just to the thran (NI talk for being different for the sake of it) - Everyone in NI supports the OF/Man U or Liverpool. That bores me; I'm always glad that me and lads have found an extremely worthy team of our own - feck glory-hunting!

In all honesty, the Irishness of the team was completely irrelvant. My passport and the fact that I live here gives me all the Irishness I need! It was probably a lack of plastic 'Orishness' that attracted me to the team even more.

What about you Stu? Originally from Edinburgh?

NIH

[I Ate JamTarts]

By the way bumped into mike in tescos last night had a chat about hibs and that.

Hibernian Go Bragh

[Northern Ireland Hibby]

Good stuff IAte - I'm delighted that Mike has joined and reckon he's the sort of guy who can help us make the supporters' club stronger.

[I Ate JamTarts]

He did mention the next meeting on the 6 dec, so it might be possible he attends.

Hibernian Go Bragh

[Northern Ireland Hibby]

Good stuff - even if he can't I'll go and see him some time after the meeting to bring him up to date.

[Stu]

Originally Posted by Northern Ireland Hibby

Very good to hear from you Stu (international Hibby and my personal running coach for on the forum who don't know him).

I have a deep afflication for the Hibs probably for four reasons:

1, A process of elimination. All the other teams were too insignificant or too sectarian to be worthy. Aside from the Old Firm and H**rts, I always had a total dislike of Aberdeen which I still can't explain.

2, Fraternity/brotherhood/comradeship - I was out on the p1sh in Edinburgh one night in the late 90s and was told that a Hibs game was on. Took myself along there and got chatting to a bunch of lads around me in the middle of the East Stand. I was welcomed like a VIP and they organised a place to meet me every fortnight and travel to away games as well as welcomed me into their Saturday night 'post-match session up the toon'. To this day I'd say that Hibbys themselves are the team's best selling point for to potential supporters.

3, History - One read of 'The Making of Hibernian' and you're hooked.

4, Just to the thran (NI talk for being different for the sake of it) - Everyone in NI supports the OF/Man U or Liverpool. That bores me; I'm always glad that me and lads have found an extremely worthy team of our own - feck glory-hunting!

In all honesty, the Irishness of the team was completely irrelvant. My passport and the fact that I live here gives me all the Irishness I need! It was probably a lack of plastic 'Orishness' that attracted me to the team even more.

What about you Stu? Originally from Edinburgh?

NIH

Hi Conor

Nice to hear from you and how's that running going mate?

After reading your reason number one I was going to then ask 'yes but why a Scottish team anyway - as opposed to say a lesser English Leagure team?' Your other reasons more than adequately explain just where your affection comes from for the Hibs however.

Regarding the comradeship and welcome you mention, I think many of my non-Scots friends would say exactly the same thing, when I have been in Edinburgh with them they immedately took the 'brotherhood' thing when visiting a game at Easter Road - or even better when we invade Tynecastle. A word I frequently hear when I asked them what they enjoyed about their Hibby experience is 'passion'. They seem to really recognise this and get off on it. Further many of them will remark about how loud the crowd is comparing like for like with English teams. I think that might be a general Scottish Football crowd thing though.

For me, yes originally I'm of Edinburgh origin or more accurately Musselburgh - (these things are important!) This however goes way, way back. My folks took our family away from Musselburgh when I was a young lad. I never forgot the Hibees however and to this day as you will understand, hold them very dear to my heart. Probably more than ever as I get older.

That ma daddy and his daddy were green and white was a great part of that and I'm very proud to uphold the tradition in the Frew family generations on - even from afar.

For me being a Hibby is a great part of my identity and knowing and understanding where I come from and who I am. They are more than just a football team for me but rather a little historical cornerstone of my life.

The imagery and romance sometimes seems magnified when you live away I guess. The central thing that is important to me about the Hibs though is the club's inception and the good and charitable reasons for that. That notion sits with me very well.

Wrap all of the former up in a package of shimmering emerald green jerseys with crisp white sleeves moving the football around gracefully on the field of play and you'' understand the reasons I'm happy to say...

'I'm a Hibby.'

[fizzure]

Originally Posted by stu in nottingham

Just interested how you NI boys and girls came to be Hibbies? Parentage, moved over there, just a general interest in a team of Irish origin but without all the bile?

How do you guys stack up on this one?

Best regards,
Stu

Spot on for me there, thats why I started looking out for results and stuff in the first place, and since I started going over to games from last season there, the welcome you get is unbelievable

[Northern Ireland Hibby]

Originally Posted by stu in nottingham

Hi Conor

Nice to hear from you and how's that running going mate?

After reading your reason number one I was going to then ask 'yes but why a Scottish team anyway - as opposed to say a lesser English Leagure team?' Your other reasons more than adequately explain just where your affection comes from for the Hibs however.

Regarding the comradeship and welcome you mention, I think many of my non-Scots friends would say exactly the same thing, when I have been in Edinburgh with them they immedately took the 'brotherhood' thing when visiting a game at Easter Road - or even better when we invade Tynecastle. A word I frequently hear when I asked them what they enjoyed about their Hibby experience is 'passion'. They seem to really recognise this and get off on it. Further many of them will remark about how loud the crowd is comparing like for like with English teams. I think that might be a general Scottish Football crowd thing though.

For me, yes originally I'm of Edinburgh origin or more accurately Musselburgh - (these things are important!) This however goes way, way back. My folks took our family away from Musselburgh when I was a young lad. I never forgot the Hibees however and to this day as you will understand, hold them very dear to my heart. Probably more than ever as I get older.

That ma daddy and his daddy were green and white was a great part of that and I'm very proud to uphold the tradition in the Frew family generations on - even from afar.

For me being a Hibby is a great part of my identity and knowing and understanding where I come from and who I am. They are more than just a football team for me but rather a little historical cornerstone of my life.

The imagery and romance sometimes seems magnified when you live away I guess. The central thing that is important to me about the Hibs though is the club's inception and the good and charitable reasons for that. That notion sits with me very well.

Wrap all of the former up in a package of shimmering emerald green jerseys with crisp white sleeves moving the football around gracefully on the field of play and you'' understand the reasons I'm happy to say...

'I'm a Hibby.'

Absolutely beautiful Stu - if I could find a Hibby with a glass eye, I'm sure you would bring a tear to it

That all rings very true with us except that we only have to get a ferry with 500 odourous Rangers fans to get to a game; you have an ocean to cross!

You're last paragraph also sums up that we follow Hibs because they have a certain magic about them that we can't quite put our finger on.

Whatever it is, it's the difference between following a Glasgow team like Rangers (whose supporters regularly knock the crap out of each other in their supporters' clubs - what's that about??!!) or even Manchester United (whose supporters don't even talk to each other at all).

We're a proud bunch us Hibbys and that's probably because we know we have something to be proud in for many, many reasons.

NIH

[I Ate JamTarts]

Originally Posted by Northern Ireland Hibby

Absolutely beautiful Stu - if I could find a Hibby with a glass eye, I'm sure you would bring a tear to it

That all rings very true with us except that we only have to get a ferry with 500 odourous Rangers fans to get to a game; you have an ocean to cross!

You're last paragraph also sums up that we follow Hibs because they have a certain magic about them that we can't quite put our finger on.

Whatever it is, it's the difference between following a Glasgow team like Rangers (whose supporters regularly knock the crap out of each other in their supporters' clubs - what's that about??!!) or even Manchester United (whose supporters don't even talk to each other at all).

We're a proud bunch us Hibbys and that's probably because we know we have something to be proud in for many, many reasons.

NIH

To quote you on the above NIH, i totally agree with the point about other supporters from the same club not speaking to each other.

Remember last season when travelling to the cis cup, while in the airport there were at least six sets of man city supporters who at no time made any attempt to speak to each, but every hibs man in the airport acknowledged every other hibs man. Lifeless supporters.
Hibernian Go Bragh

[Northern Ireland Hibby]

I've watched big Man United games (a few mates have the affliction of being supporters) in a social club in North Antrim and am always amazed how the supporters don't talk to anyone outside their own wee group.

And as for celebrating a win? It's hard to tell if they've won or lost!

[Hibernian_Dub]

Hi guys,

I have to totally agree about the whole 'brotherhood/comradeship' thing. It's something that is very hard to describe and fans of the two Ugly Sisters just wouldn't be able to comprehend that feeling. I've lost count of the amount of times I've been on holidays when I've met Hibees where it's like meeting a long-lost family member. Celtic/ Man Utd fans just constantly ignore each other where Hibees go out of their way to talk/greet fellow Hibees. Many a drunken night has been spent with Hibees who I had previously never met, describing famous games/players etc. It's one of the main reasons I love the Hibs and it 'almost' makes up for the lack of success :-D

Stu, I'm not one of the NIHSC, but I'm sure Conor won't mind me telling you how I got interested in the Hibs....

I'm a massive Bohemians F.C. fan and back in the summer of 1988 (when I was a wee 18 year old), Bohs were invited over to the Isle of Man for a soccer tournament along with Stoke City, Burnley, Preston, Blackburn, Wolves and Hibs. Bohs and the I.O.M. were the last two teams that were to make up the 8-team tournament. Anyway, to try to cut a long story short, the tournament was cancelled on the advice of the English Police and Football Intelligence authorities who had received advice that groups from each club (including Hibs ) were planning to use the tournament as a Hooligan-fest. The I.O.M. FA however, extended an invite to Bohs to come over and play a couple of friendlies against them, so as we had our hols booked, we decided to go over for the 'craic'.

About 150 Bohs made the trip, which was my first 'lads' trip and we had a fantastic week. On the second day, we came accross 6 Hibees who had decided to go ahead with their already-booked holiday. The first time I saw them was on a tram wearing their Hibs colours. Later that evening, we met them again, and after plenty of chat and drink, jersies and scarves were exchanged and for the remainder of the week, we went to games/pub/clubs together and the craic as they say, was mighty. Addresses were exchanged at the end of the week and again to keep a long story short, 5 months later, I made my first ever trip to Scotland and my first pilgrimage to the Holy ground to see Hibs take on the might of...Brechin City A freezing cold day, a crowd of 7,100, a shit-hole of a ground, a lucky 1-0 win, but...I was hooked. I love every minute of it and have been returning for almost 15 years. Actually, the SFA Cup game on January 8th will be my 15th Anniversary and I'm hoping to get accross to that game. And btw, I'm still very good mates with all those Hibees I met in the IOM and needless to say, I've made many more good friends. I had 16 Hibees in Dublin for my wedding five years back!

Anyway, I'm hoping Hibs get drawn away against Highland league outfit, Keith. Then, I could visit the 'home' of my name and more importantly, I could scream things like "You're shite Keith and you know you are!"

Érin go Brágh,
Keith.

[Scoobie]

My support for Hibernian is pretty much the same as Conor's, except that I didn't get to go to a game until I moved here 2 1/2 years ago. I had plenty of chances to see one, but they always involved going with a Sellick SC and sitting with them at Darkheid. I always refused.

But I totally agree with the Brotherhood of the Hibs support. On a trip to Cyprus the resort we were staying at had football shirts behind the bar, and one of them was a Hibs shirt, I got talking to the Cypriot barowner and he said he's got TWO, one for the bar and one he likes to wear!! The next day I was getting served at the bar and talking to a man with a Scottish accent, and eventually the conversation came to football and he announced that he was a Hibee and proud. We hugged.

Another time was when I was wearing my Hibs shirt on a night out in my home town (back when you could wear footy shirts), and this complete stranger ran (Literally RAN) up to me and forced me to shake his hand. He was a Hibee over on holiday with Irish university friends. Now, WHO else does that, but a Hibs fan?