Celtic's links with Canada are as plentiful as you might imagine, and given that Canada is the second largest country on Earth, it is hardly surprising that a club of our size has links there. Indeed, there will likely be future editions of Celtic Connections that shine a light on our other links to Canada, but, this week, we are focusing on the birthplace of our former keeper James 'Joe' Kennaway. Kennaway was born on January 25, 1907, in Point Saint Charles, a neighbourhood in Montreal, Quebec, approximately 3,000 miles from Celtic Park. His mother and father were from Dundee, but, like many Scots already had, and would over the coming years, they emigrated and began a new life in Canada. At the time of Kennaway's birth, Point Saint Charles was a diverse, industrial area, with immigrants from Scotland, Ireland, Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania living and working side-by-side. Nowadays, the area is widely considered to be the historical heart of the Irish community in Montreal, though it is an entirely different world to the one in which Joe Kennaway and his family lived, with the ever-expanding effects of gentrification altering the area almost beyond recognition. Kennaway had a keen interest in football from a young age, which is unsurprising given that he was born into a Scottish family and, at the time, Scotland was effectively the epicentre of the sport. Before his 20th birthday, the man from Montreal, whose talents between the sticks were becoming apparent, was awarded his first international cap, representing Canada in a 6-2 defeat to the USA. The conceding of six goals may have been a disappointing debut, but in the years to follow, he would go on to show exactly what he was capable of. Kennaway moved to the USA soon after his international debut and moved into the world of professional football, signing for Rhode Island side, Providence Gold Bugs. Interestingly, the Gold Bugs played their matches at Kinsley Park, a multi-sports venue in Providence which hosted the first nighttime NFL match, pioneering the use of floodlights. As if that wasn't enough, in 1927, just two days after winning the World Series, the iconic New York Yankees baseball stars, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig held a sold-out exhibition match there. In 1931, the Providence Gold Bugs were purchased, and their name was changed to Fall River FC after the name of the town they relocated to in Massachusetts. It was whilst playing for Fall River that Celtic and Joe Kennaway's paths crossed for the first time, with the Hoops facing the United States side during the 1931 North America tour, Celtic's first journey across the Atlantic. Fall River defeated Willie Maley's Celtic side 1-0, with Joe Kennaway putting in an excellent performance between the sticks. After the game, the Canadian conversed with Celtic keeper, John Thomson and Willie Maley even spoke with Kennaway about the match. League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 3rd in Premiership, 67 pts, 21W-4D-8L from 33 games, recent form WWLWW. Goals this season: 59 scored, 35 conceded (+24 goal difference). Title race: 3 points behind leaders Heart Of Midlothian. Next fixture: vs Motherwell (at home, 2026-12-26) (4th in the table). Currently sidelined: Benjamin Nygren.