SCOTLAND'S preeminent historian has taken Celtic's chief executive Peter Lawwell to task over his claims the club has no connection with historic Irish Republicanism.

Professor Sir Tom Devine said many of the club's first board of directors were prominent Irish Nationalist figures, with the original turf laid at Celtic Park by one of the Victorian Ireland's leading Republicans

It comes after Mr Lawwell, at an event to mark a new kit deal with sportswear giant New Balance, said Celtic had no attachment, historically or now, with Irish Republican identity.

But Sir Tom, the leading authority on the history of the Irish in Scotland, questioned the Celtic supremo's grasp of the club's past.

He said: "In terms of the official representation and official connections he is right. But people associated with the club were certainly Irish Republican. The inaugural turf cutting was carried out by Michael Davitt and of course, not so much Irish Republicans, Irish Nationalists made up the majority of the first Celtic board."

Celtic moved to clarify Mr Lawwell's comment claiming they had been misunderstood and that the chief executive was "well aware and proud of Celtic's history and the club's Irish roots".

A spokesman said: "People who promote proscribed terrorist organisations are not welcome at Celtic."

At the press conference Mr Lawwell defended the reputation of his club's supporters and said they were working hard to weed out any troublemakers, adding Celtic had no problem with offensive behaviour at Celtic Park.

Mr Lawwell added that the club's history had no association with Irish Republicanism and said those who promote terrorist organisations were not welcome.

He said: "Two points: We oppose the offensive behaviour act and certainly, I don't accept that Irish Republicanism is in Celtic's history, anywhere in Celtic's history. I don't recognise Celtic being associated with sectarianism. I don't recognise Celtic being associated with Irish Republicanism.

"We have a very small minority of people who have chants that we would rather not be here, whether or not that is people who wish to have an Irish Republican identity is another matter.

"Again, it's a complicated issue. People who promote proscribed terrorist organisations are not welcome at Celtic Park. That has been the case forever and will always be the case. But you need to put this into a context - this is a very, very small minority."

Following his comments it was noted that, as well as the Davitt connection, Celtic flew a flag given to the club by Eamon De Valera, one of the 1916 Easter Rising leaders who later became Irish prime minister and president, with Pat Welsh, a member of the revolutionary Fenian movement, also a pivotal figure in Celtic's early history.

Davitt had been a member of the revolutionary Irish Republican Brotherhood organisations in the 1860s and 1870s and had served time in prison for arms raids.

He became a leading member of the Land League and became MP for County Meath, East Cork and Mayo on various occasions.

A frequent visitor to Scotland where he was closely associated with the crofters' struggles in the Highlands and Islands, Davitt also urged the Irish immigrant population to integrate into the politics of their adopted country and in particular the Labour Movement. He was invited to lay the first turf at Celtic Football Club in 1892, although it was stolen overnight.

The Irish Tricolour, which was at the centre of the flag controversy in the early 1950s, had been given to the club by De Valera and his government. Legendary manager Jock Stein later met De Valera after the club won the European Cup.