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Catch My Pal


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This thread is a spin off from the Hotels one and I am wondering if anyone can supplement what I have gleaned about "Catch My Pal" in Inverness?

In a sentence, Catch My Pal was a Temperance (ie Total Abstinence) organisation in the town, best now remembered for its football team.

The Catch My Pal Temperance network was founded in Ireland in 1909 and the idea was that members would be dedicated to getting their friends off the drink. A branch was set up in Inverness in 1911 and the Catch My Pal Hall was at the Merkinch end of Academy Street, possibly at the acute angle where it meets Church Street. The site I have in mind now, I think, must belong to Brian MacGregor since in the fairly recent past I have seen displayed on it abusive signs about David Sutherland and Innes and MacKay the Solicitors.

I believe that this hall in days gone by was part of the considerable property in that immediate area owned by the Anderson family who had Anderson's the Bakers (anyone over about 45-50 remember the red vans with "Been doing our best for you since 1892" on them?) whose shops and bakery were across Academy Street where Blythswood is now. The Andersons were, I believe, very much involved with Catch My Pal who also held rallies in the larger Dr. Black Hall on Bank Street, part of St. Columba High Church of which they were members.

However a Google search of "Catch My Pal Inverness" principally yields a number of references to the Catch My Pal football team which won the North Caledonian League in 1924-25. All that can be said with certainty about that particular victory is that they would not have gone on the p!ss afterwards!

The only other significant intelligible reference I can find is to the fact that when a faction split away from the Free Prebyterian Church (presumably because even it was not extreme enough :angry: ) it met in the Catch My Pal Hall before eventually moving into Greyfriars Church (now occupied by the extortionate Mr Leakey). The only other reference I can find is a potentially valuable one in Am Baile but annoyingly it is in Gaelic although there are further references to dated Courier articles which might be worth some further research.

I have a feeling that Catch My Pal did not survive World War 2 so there is not likely to be anyone here who remembers it directly but some of our older subscribers (Scarlet, Jock, Canuck, Exgrover) may know more than I do by more immediate word of mouth.

Any takers?

Edited by Charles Bannerman
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This thread is a spin off from the Hotels one and I am wondering if anyone can supplement what I have gleaned about "Catch My Pal" in Inverness?

In a sentence, Catch My Pal was a Temperance (ie Total Abstinence) organisation in the town, best now remembered for its football team.

The Catch My Pal Temperance network was founded in Ireland in 1909 and the idea was that members would be dedicated to getting their friends off the drink. A branch was set up in Inverness in 1911 and the Catch My Pal Hall was at the Merkinch end of Academy Street, possibly at the acute angle where it meets Church Street. The site I have in mind now, I think, must belong to Brian MacGregor since in the fairly recent past I have seen displayed on it abusive signs about David Sutherland and Innes and MacKay the Solicitors.

I believe that this hall in days gone by was part of the considerable property in that immediate area owned by the Anderson family who had Anderson's the Bakers (anyone over about 45-50 remember the red vans with "Been doing our best for you since 1892" on them?) whose shops and bakery were across Academy Street where Blythswood is now. The Andersons were, I believe, very much involved with Catch My Pal who also held rallies in the larger Dr. Black Hall on Bank Street, part of St. Columba High Church of which they were members.

However a Google search of "Catch My Pal Inverness" principally yields a number of references to the Catch My Pal football team which won the North Caledonian League in 1924-25. All that can be said with certainty about that particular victory is that they would not have gone on the p!ss afterwards!

The only other significant intelligible reference I can find is to the fact that when a faction split away from the Free Prebyterian Church (presumably because even it was not extreme enough :rolleyes: ) it met in the Catch My Pal Hall before eventually moving into Greyfriars Church (now occupied by the extortionate Mr Leakey). The only other reference I can find is a potentially valuable one in Am Baile but annoyingly it is in Gaelic although there are further references to dated Courier articles which might be worth some further research.

I have a feeling that Catch My Pal did not survive World War 2 so there is not likely to be anyone here who remembers it directly but some of our older subscribers (Scarlet, Jock, Canuck, Exgrover) may know more than I do by more immediate word of mouth.

Any takers?

The "Catch my Pal" team took part in the Scottish Junior Cup one season in the mid 1920's. I posted a question on the North Caledonian league forum ages ago asking if there were records of any other NC league team also playing in the national Junior tournament but no response

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