Established in 1888, the club was the idea of Brother Walfrid, leader of a teaching institute, the Marist Order, in Glasgow.

Inspired by the example of Edinburgh Hibernian football club, Brother Walfrid saw the establishment of a football club in Glasgow's East End as an opportunity to raise money for a charity he had established, The Poor Children's Dinner Table, and an opportunity to give the Irish population something which they could feel proud to be a part of.

It was Walfrid's own suggestion of the name Celtic, a reflection of both its Irish and Scottish roots, that was adopted at a meeting to form the club in November 1887.

Six months later Celtic played their first fixture, beating Rangers in a friendly 5 -2, the first of many notable clashes between the two Glasgow teams.

Within four years the club had taken the Scottish Cup at only their fourth attempt and, a year later, Celtic recorded their first victory in the Scottish League. These early triumphs proved a benchmark as the club quickly established itself as Scotland's most successful side. Between 1892 and the outbreak of World War One, Celtic claimed eleven league titles, including six titles in a row between 1905 and 1910, and nine victories in the Scottish Cup.

Celtic's success could be attributed to to the club's first secretary and manager Willy Maley. A former player, Maley was appointed in 1897, just after the club had become a limited company.

Maley adopted a successful youth policy, signing great players like Jimmy Quinn and Patsy Gallacher from the ranks of Junior football, culminating in another four successive League Championships during the war years