I feel sorry for the huffing hordes who believe painful exertion is necessary for health
'Bless my sweet soul,' says I to myself, 'but surely that's the root of one of my favourite words – sedentary?' And, I was right. It's remarkable that it took me years to cop that.
Little gives me greater pleasure of an evening than to sit out, beverage in hand, as the world runs by, puffing and sweating in miserable pursuit of the body-perfect, some carrying as much body fat as the Famine statues on Custom House Quay in Dublin.
'This is the life,' I tell myself, raising a glass in salute to the huffing hordes hurtling past. But it's hard to admire the vanity. The ones I do feel for are those who believe such painful exertion is necessary for health reasons. It is not, as Dr Muiris Houston
made clear
in this newspaper recently.
READ MORE
Addressing those who celebrate 'the sedentary', he asks a most seductive question: 'What's the least amount of exercise you can get away with?'
He continues: 'From a starting point of virtually zero exercise, an hour or two a week of leisurely cycling or moderately paced walking might be all you need to reduce your risk of death from cardiovascular disease by as much as 20 per cent.'
Sweetest of all, he adds: 'The benefits appear to max out after four to six hours exercise a week – with no additional gains beyond this point for most people.'
He also noted how academics in Sydney had found that risk of premature death was reduced by at least 10 per cent if, on a daily basis, people slept a minimum of 15 minutes more, added an extra 1.6 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical exercise and ate another half a serving of vegetables. No bother.
There's a similar benefit to doing all the week's exercises over a weekend. And spending just 15 minutes a day outside in nature is enough to boost your mood, concentration and physical health. Sláinte!
Sedentary, from Latin sedere 'to sit, occupy an official seat'.
inaword@irishtimes.com
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For a while they mainly had to play among themselves but eventually, of all the teams, Hearts of Midlothian agreed to play them. This friendly entente with Hearts would unfortunately not last for long as their relationship would quickly sour, with the teams facing off in local cups and then establishing themselves as the top two teams in the city. That game with Hearts did open the door, with other teams agreeing to play Hibernian. From there the Scottish Football Association and Edinburgh Football Association had no choice but to accept the club. Whelahan would be a leading figure for the club as they spread their wings and began to play games against teams from western Scotland, including Queen's Park, one of the strongest teams in Scotland. Hibernian won their first Scottish Cup in 1887 to jubilant scenes in Little Ireland and across Irish communities in Scotland, for whom the victory marked a pivotal moment in their integration to Scotland. Hibernian would advance the Irish cause further by defeating one of the top English teams, Preston North End, in a game dubbed "Association Football championship of the world decider". While Hibernian won the cup in 1902 and league in 1903, they wouldn't see a high point again until the late 1940s/early 50s when they won the league three times and finished second three times, aided by the skills of the Famous Five – Bobby Johnstone, Willie Ormond, Lawrie Reilly, Gordon Smith and Eddie Turnbull. Hibernian were the first British team to play in European football. Although they finished fifth in 1955, they were asked to participate as they were still seen as a leading team in Scotland and they also had floodlights. Hibernian reached the European Cup semi-final but lost to French team Stade Reims, who in turn lost to Real Madrid, who won the first of their five European Cups in a row. The European Cup as a competition grew quickly to become the preeminent trophy in European club football. In 1967, it was won by a team from Glasgow who became one of the reasons for Hibernian's decline after 1887. In 1887, Glasgow Celtic inspired by the Hibernian model, was set up by Brother Walfrid from Sligo to cater for the Irish Catholic community in Glasgow. The number of Irish in Glasgow was much higher than Edinburgh as most Irish tended to settle in and around where they landed, not having the money to move further. The Irish would do the physical, strenuous labour jobs in the factories, docks and mines and, like in Edinburgh, lived in appalling conditions. Given the number of Irish in Glasgow and the early success of Hibernian, it was inevitable that an Irish club would be formed in Glasgow. Hibernian would be there to assist, only too happy to see another Irish club on the scene. Hibernian at this point was a charitable organisation, with all the funds they raised going back into the Irish community in Edinburgh. Brother Walfrid envisaged the same idea for Glasgow. Their allies in Edinburgh would be their first visitors playing a fundraising match game against Cowlairs. Hibernian also made a donation to their Glasgow counterparts. Some members of the Celtic board had other intentions and saw the potential profit from professional football. John Glass and Pat Welsh were Glasgow businessmen and, unbeknown to the other board members, they were looking at Celtic as a business instead of a charity. Football at this time was evolving from amateur to professional. Hibernian was often accused of paying players under the table. If they were, they weren't paying them enough, as many of the Hibernian players would join up with Celtic thanks to Glass and Welsh. This started the rise of Celtic, with them quickly overtaking Hibernian as the team of Irish people. The first manager of Celtic was Willie Maley, who was born in Down to a father in the British Army from Clare and a mother born in Canada to Scottish parents. Raised in Scotland, Maley became interested in athletics and football. He became one of Celtic's first players. At just age 29, he was appointed manager of the team. While he was a hands-off manager, he certainly achieved much success with the club. He changed the policy of spending big to blooding in young local talent, something that worked to great effect. During his 43 years in charge, the club won 16 league titles and 14 Scottish Cups, while they also won six in a row from 1905 to 1910, and between 1915 and 1917 they won 62 games in a row, then a record. This time saw many Irish-born and Irish-heritage players prominent on the teamsheet, such as Jimmy Quinn, Jimmy McMenemy, Patsy Gallacher, Jimmy Delaney and James McGrory. Hibernian and Celtic both clearly have Irish heritage, but there is another team in the Scottish Premiership with Irish roots. Dundee might not immediately spring to mind, yet the city has a strong Irish link. In 1851 the city's population was 19% Irish, in particular the area of Lochee, where the Irish heritage can still be found today. Many of the Irish were single women drawn to the city by the textile industry. Like their kin in Edinburgh, the Irish in Dundee would also take to the football field. Just four years after Hibernian was founded, Dundee Harp was founded. Harp became one of the best teams in the city, often winning local cups and along the way developing a rivalry with Arbroath. Harp tried their hand at the Scottish Cup and in 1885 they were involved in a bizarre situation. In the first round they faced Aberdeen Rovers and recorded an incredible victory of 35-0. Full in the belief that they had just created a record, they telegrammed their rivals at Arbroath to let them know. Little did Harp know that Arbroath had scored 36 goals in their victory over Bon Accord to grab the record that Harp thought they had won. Worse still, the referee in the Harp game believed that the final score was 37-0, only to be told by Harp officials that they counted only 35 goals. The referee took their word and Arbroath had the record for most goals scored in a match. Harp were suspended by the Scottish FA in 1894 and stopped playing. Just a few weeks later, a new team emerged called Dundee Hibernian. This team would change back to the Harp name before again going defunct. The Harp name would reemerge once again through Lochee Harp, which started in 1904. Lochee Harp is still competing at a junior level, with a notable history of success. Such is the Irish influence in Lochee or "Little Tipperary" as it was nicknamed, Lochee Harp would have competed against Lochee Emmet, named after Irish patriot Robert Emmet, in their early years. The biggest impact was a later Dundee Hibernian who formed in 1909. They played their first game in August that year against Hibernian from Edinburgh. Dundee Hibernian joined the Scottish Football League the following year. In 1923, the club nearly went bust and it was decided to widen the appeal of the team by changing the name to United. The colours changed from green and white to white and black. The orange and black associated with Dundee United today was adopted in 1969 as the club looked for a modern, vibrant future. The club enjoyed its greatest era in the 1980s under Jim McLean, when they reached the European Cup semi-finals in 1983-84 and in 1987 lost the final of the UEFA Cup. Their city rivals are Dundee FC, but they've never had the sectarianism of Glasgow or Edinburgh. Football was a popular social outlet for working class Irish Catholics. The game allowed the Irish to maintain their Irish identity but also integrate into Scottish society. There were many examples of Irish-named football clubs across all levels of Scottish football. For example, Dumbarton Harp was set up in 1894 in the town northwest of Glasgow on the River Clyde. They enjoyed junior cup success in the late 1910s and played junior leagues until the mid-1920s when they joined the newly formed third division of the Scottish Football League. They disbanded just a year and half later. Blantyre Celtic were a junior club, now amateur club, where Glasgow Celtic legend Jimmy Johnstone gained valuable experience before becoming a 'Lisbon Lion'. Duntocher Hibernian were a village team in west Dumbartonshire. It's here that Pat Crerand, with his Tyrone father and Donegal mother, got his playing start before moving on to Celtic and later Manchester United in a career that saw him capped 16 times for Scotland. There are many other examples. The journey of the Irish in Scotland is a story of remarkable resilience. While sectarianism does still raise its ugly head at Old Firm games, the Irish are now well integrated into Scottish society. Celtic has grown from strength to strength to become a global team with supporters clubs around the world. Yet it must be recognised that it was Hibernian who paved the way for the Irish teams in Scotland.
