Lisbon Lions roar again at Motherwell Theatre

Ian Auld and Willy Maley’s play about a group of Celtic supporters who head to Lisbon in 1967 for the European Cup is performed by the Basement Theatre Company and starring River City’s own bad guy Lenny Murdoch played by the great Frank Gallagher.

With a cast of ten, plus live band, the show recreates the humour, passion and occasional calamity that accompanied a Glasgow & District XI showing Europe’s finest how the beautiful game should be played.

In May 1967, 10,000 of the greatest supporters in the world embarked on the most important crusade since the quest for the Holy Grail.

They hailed from Scotland, Ireland, and every corner of the globe.

Most were Celtic daft. Some were just plain daft.

The Celticade stretched from the Campsie Fells to the Pyrenees, rolling like a green carpet across Europe.

Those who couldn’t afford the plane travelled on slow boats and long-distance lorries, in battered vans and buses, on rusty bikes and blistered feet, in used cars and trains that never ran on time.

Actor Frank Gallagher, from BBC’s River City, said: “When we toured The Lions of Lisbon last year the response was amazing.

“Even after half a century the real love for Glasgow Celtic is as strong as ever.

“The play is funny, poignant and joyous; it’s a privilege to be a part of it.”

The Lions of Lisbon promises enough laughs to keep even the most reluctant football watcher entertained.

Get ready to roar for the finest silverware ever lifted. If you know the history, don’t just remember it, relive it.

The Lions of Lisbon is at Motherwell Concert Hall on Saturday, October 20 at 7.30pm.

To get your tickets phone 01698 403120 or visit the CultureNL website