The death has been announced of former Galway Rovers manager Tommy Callaghan, a Scottish native and Glasgow Celtic legend who passed away this morning at the age of 78. Tommy managed Galway Rovers (before they became Galway United) for 34 games between July 1978 and April 1979. He played in 29 of those games, scoring four times, before being controversially sacked and returning to Scotland.
Callaghan was a special guest at the Galway United versus Athlone Town game in the First Division at the end of September 2023, following an invitation by the Galway United Friends Co-Op. It was his first trip back to Galway since he departed and on the eve of the Athlone game last season, Tommy and other players from that era, including Gerry Daly and Tommy Lally joined current manager John Caulfield at the Galway Rovers clubhouse, Claddagh Hall for a Q&A hosted by Dave O’Connell of the Connacht Tribune.
Callaghan joined Jock Stein's Celtic side in 1968 - just one year after their 1967 European Cup triumph - for a reported £35,000 fee from Dunfermline, where Stein had signed him before his move to Glasgow. The 23-year-old midfielder scored on his debut against Partick Thistle just one day after signing to instantly get Parkhead fans on board with his signing.
Making over 250 appearances for Celtic over an eight-year span, which included 14 league goals in 172 league outings, Callaghan won the treble in his first full season at Celtic Park before being part of a side that won six consecutive titles in the East End, with five Scottish Cups and three Scottish League Cups to boot, alongside making two European Cup semi-finals, two quarter-finals and a runner's up medal in the continent's most prestigious tournament, where Feyenoord beat them in Milan.
Celtic led the tributes after his passing in the early hours of Friday - mourning the death of Stein's former man who also turned out for Clydebank and Irish side Galway Rovers. The Hoops released a statement, stating: "Everyone at Celtic Park was saddened to hear that former player, Tommy Callaghan passed away early this morning (Friday) at the age of 78. His heart was always at Celtic Park and he was still a regular at every game as a matchday host with the club. The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Celtic Football Club are with Tommy’s friends and family at this sad time."
