Celtic Slang | About Celtic | Celtic's Foundation

Description

'Bhoys' was a self-reference and nickname common among Irish emigrants referring to themselves.

The term is said to have been generated in New York (USA) during the 19th Century and passed back over the Atlantic.

Promotional stuff on Celtic goods from the earliest days even refer to 'The Bould Bhoys'.

The extra letter was an attempt to capture the Irish accent, as well probably signifying a sense of their own cultural identity.

According to Alan Lugton who wrote "The Making of Hibernian [FC]", the term "The Bhoys" was a nickname that was even used to refer to Hibs in their early days:

"At the time of their founding, Hibernian had various nicknames such as “representatives of the Emerald Isle” or “the bhoys”, but the most popular nicknames were “the Green Jerseys” and the Irishmen."