City and Religion

My Mum always used to say City were the protestant team and the rags the catholic team. She grew up in Chorlton (born in 53) and my Grandad was a protestant Glaswegian who supported Rangers. She seemed to think it was quite definitive, but I don't think there's much evidence for it. My Dad who grew up in Whalley Range used to go and watch both teams in the 60s. It seems to generally come down to parts of Manchester more than anything and the demographics associated with those areas.
 
It wasn’t just religion it was geography, but United’s success shook that up a bit. All the areas near Maine Rd were City from Moss Side to Didsbury - but a lot of those areas back then had working class Irish communities and support for United was stronger with them, though obviously you had the Gallagher brothers and other Irish Manc Blues, but that made sense because if you grew up in Burnage or Withington or Levy or Longsight they were Blue areas. Similarly Black lads and Asian lads supported City because that was the club associated with Moss Side, Rusholme, Longsight, Fallowfield etc. Sikh lads followed United being from Old Trafford. This had little to do with what was happening on the pitch or even got in the ground, it was what you felt was yours, saw and related to. There was definitely a period when United were seen as not actually that popular in inner south Manchester unless you were Irish, and more of a Salford thing. I was a kid then but that was the way I knew things until United got sexy in the early 90s and we moved out of south Manchester ten years later, so that story has been forgotten by folk but for many the old ties are still there. I always heard we had Masonic ties as well - with sky blue being the colour of heaven!
Dispute your comments about the areas although you may be talking about a later period. I went to School in the 60s at St. Edwards on the Kippax St. Croft and most of the lads were United. possibly something to do with the Munich Disaster. In fact in the area say from Princess Rd to Wilmslow Rd there were a lot of United. However Longsight was very Blue.
 
It wasn’t just religion it was geography, but United’s success shook that up a bit. All the areas near Maine Rd were City from Moss Side to Didsbury - but a lot of those areas back then had working class Irish communities and support for United was stronger with them, though obviously you had the Gallagher brothers and other Irish Manc Blues, but that made sense because if you grew up in Burnage or Withington or Levy or Longsight they were Blue areas. Similarly Black lads and Asian lads supported City because that was the club associated with Moss Side, Rusholme, Longsight, Fallowfield etc. Sikh lads followed United being from Old Trafford. This had little to do with what was happening on the pitch or even got in the ground, it was what you felt was yours, saw and related to. There was definitely a period when United were seen as not actually that popular in inner south Manchester unless you were Irish, and more of a Salford thing. I was a kid then but that was the way I knew things until United got sexy in the early 90s and we moved out of south Manchester ten years later, so that story has been forgotten by folk but for many the old ties are still there. I always heard we had Masonic ties as well - with sky blue being the colour of heaven!
The story was put about that in the early days when we needed money, the masons gave us a sub in return for us wearing sky blue, the Masonic colour. No idea about the veracity of this.
 
I’m also a left footer, of Irish heritage (Though a Newton Heath lad). Dad’s parents were Irish and he was City too (He also born in Newton Heath). My mum was Irish and City due to Dad (Though she did date Alan Kelly of Preston NE as a teen)
There's absolutely loads of us, that's why I can't stand some having a sneaky go at aligning us with the likes of Chelsea and Rangers - so far away in values from most of my City pals from school days. Don't get me wrong I was not in favor of half city / half Celtic hats that were going around in the 80's or flying the tricolor ..Although Dunney deserved that for his huge efforts for us yar after year. but..this right wing sh*te doesn't sit well with many
 
Went to the monestary, gorton was alway full of blues who were irish/irish decent and catholic, many in my school were city fans but also would if asked about scottish football be favourable about celtic.

City had more links to celtic than the rags ever had also, this stuff was some myth they started in the 70s as the only 2 clubs to win the european cup at the time so the rags latched onto them and city fans then went for the opposite team, being one of tge otger was never linked to the clubs St Marks roots of us being a proddy club.

The half n half city/celtic and city/rangers bobble hats were just as prominent as each other in the early 90s on the kippax.

all modern bullshit much like how red scouse nobs like tony evans claim to be some offshoot of the irish disapora even though liverpool has a lower number of people with irish roots than us, burnley, preston, leeds, etc
Exactly, a lot of Irish got out of Liverpool quick smart - there for a week or two and most fked off due to the outright sectarianism of the dock workers union (protestant) and taxi drivers, pubs etc... my grandad like many settled in Moston after one week in Liverpool, always despised racism and said he never experienced anything like it first hand... Most of scouse descent are Welsh ...with their welsh chapel fire and brimstone values not far behind.
 

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