Dumbarton Harp F.C.

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Dumbarton Harp Football Club were a football (soccer) club based in the town of Dumbarton in the west of Scotland. They were formed in 1894 by Irish catholic immigrants to the area in a similar way to the formation of Celtic in Glasgow and Hibernian in Edinburgh.

There was also a junior club at the same time as Dumbarton Harp, formed in 1906. Their first game was against "Corinthians" (probably the local "Dumbarton Corinthians" that were around at this time) on August 22, 1906, losing 2-1.

They played the majority of their existence in local football leagues, such as the Glasgow and District Junior League, which they joined in their inaugural season, or the Inter County Football League in season 1916-17. In 1910 they were champions of the Scottish Football Union which they left in 1912 to participate in the Scottish Reserve Football League. They did play for a short spell in the Scottish Football League when it expanded to a three division set up in the 1920s. They finished tenth (out of 16 clubs) in the inaugural third division in season 1923-34, but withdrew midaway through the following season when it became clear they could not meet their financial commitments.

They played on for a while longer, again in local leagues, but had become defunct by around 1936. One item of trivia about Dumbarton Harp is that they were the first team to score a goal at Partick Thistle's home ground of Firhill Stadium in a Scottish Cup encounter in 1909. They ultimately went on to lose the game 3-1 however.

The name Dumbarton Harp lives on as a Celtic Supporters Club, and also as a local amateur football club of the same name.

Dumbarton Harp played at Meadow Park in the centre of the town, close to Dumbarton Central railway station. The site of Meadow Park is still in use for football.