Town in Lanarkshire, Scotland
Airdrie
Airdrie's football club is named after the town, plays under the nickname the Diamonds, and has twice come within a goal of the Scottish Cup.
Key information
- County
- Lanarkshire
- Nation
- Scotland
- Known for
- Airdrieonians FC, the Diamonds, and a coal-and-iron past
- What locals are called
- Airdrieonians
- Famous people
- Ian Bannen, Hughie Gallacher, Bob McPhail
- Football clubs
- Airdrieonians (the Diamonds)
About Airdrie
The town whose football club is its name
Ask for an Airdrieonian and you could be pointed at a resident, a fan or a player, because the club took its name from the people of the town. The team is also known as the Diamonds, and the nickname is worn with pride. The club was founded in 1878 as Excelsior. It has since had more lives than most, and its story runs alongside the town's own ups and downs.
Twice a goal away from glory
The big day came in 1924, when Airdrieonians beat Hibernian 2-0 to win the Scottish Cup. That side was strong in other ways too. It finished second in the league in several seasons in the mid-1920s, and the great striker Hughie Gallacher and the forward Bob McPhail both played for it. The near misses came later. In 1992 Airdrie lost the Scottish Cup final 2-1 to Rangers. In 1995 they lost 1-0 to Celtic, the goal coming from Pierre van Hooijdonk. That run of finals also took the club into European competition, with a Cup Winners' Cup tie against Sparta Prague. The Diamonds have been small-town giant-killers ever since.
The club that died and came back
In 2002 the old Airdrieonians went out of business. Football in the town did not stop. Clydebank FC relocated to Airdrie and became Airdrie United, who played at the Excelsior Stadium. In 2013 the club bought the old name and became Airdrieonians again. The Excelsior Stadium is still the home ground, and the old club's name lives on in the new one.
Coal, iron and a canal full of barges
Airdrie grew because of what lay under the ground. Coal and ironstone drew in miners and ironworkers, and the town expanded quickly in the 1800s. It became a burgh in 1821. Work on the Monkland Canal began in 1770. The canal opened in stages and carried coal from the Monklands towards Glasgow, running close by. Barges, then railways, turned Airdrie into a working town with a lot of heavy industry. That industry has gone, but the transport links have not. The Airdrie to Bathgate railway line reopened in December 2010, putting the town back on a direct line between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Books before bingo: Scotland's first public library
Airdrie adopted the public-library legislation in 1853, and its library opened to readers in 1856 as Scotland's first public library established under that legislation. Coalfield and ironworks towns were not usually the first to offer free books, and that makes the achievement more striking. The town centre has other solid civic buildings, including the town hall, from the years when Airdrie had money and wanted people to see it.
From Airdrie to the big screen
The actor Ian Bannen, born in Airdrie in 1928, went on to a long career in film and television. He earned an Oscar nomination for The Flight of the Phoenix and was a familiar face on British screens for decades. For a town of its size, Airdrie has kept a fierce local identity. It sits close to Coatbridge, Motherwell and Glasgow, and its people are quick to tell you they come from Airdrie, not somewhere nearby.