Top of the Hill Celtic documentary highlights importance of community

The documentary on the history of Top of The Hill Celtic FC was shown at An Croí Community Hub, Trench Rd on Thursday night.

The film charts the club’s history from its inception in 1979, through the success of the early 2000s to the present day where the club has grown in size with more than 50 coaches and over 470 children and young people training and competing on a weekly basis.

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The film was first shown in August 2025 as part of the Hooley on the Hill festival. This annual community festival is hosted by Hillcrest Trust and the documentary was a highlight of this year’s programme. 

The film pays tribute to key contributors to the development of the club who are sadly no longer with us. Willie Smith and Kevin Webb were among the founders in those early years whilst Keith ’Oxy’ Roddy was a huge part of the growth and development of the club in the 1990s and early 2000s. 

Players and coaches past and present spoke about their connections to the club and the sense of community which it engendered in them - a sense which continued long into adulthood. 

Committee member Jim McGuinness shared the club’s plans for future development with ambitions for their own home ground. Past Top of the Hill Celtic and Derry City player Sean Hargan stressed the importance of a home ground for the club, ‘’if you have your own facilities that really builds on the club and builds on the whole community aspect. The community in the Top of the Hill is only getting wider and this would encourage more involvement.’’

A special mention was given to Eamon McLaughlin who has been a stalwart of the club for many years. In his role as club volunteer and day job as a community youth worker Eamon has impacted the lives of hundreds of young people in the Top of the Hill. Former TOTH Celtic and current Glenavon player Jack Malone described Eamon as ‘the glue that held everything together. He was instrumental in the club and played a big part in all our footballing journeys.’

The McLaughlin family are synonymous with the club with all the brothers having played significant roles in the club success. 

IN PICTURES: 'Top of the Hill Celtic: Our Club. Our. History. Our Future.'

Club Chairperson, Paddy Logue expressed gratitude on behalf of the club to those who had helped bring the documentary to the big screen. ‘’On behalf of the club I would like to thank Hillcrest Trust for commissioning the documentary and Féile for the fantastic production. A special word of thanks to Ciaran O’Donnell who went above and beyond providing advice and support throughout the development of the project.’’

Top of the Hill Celtic: Our Club. Our History. Our Future. can now be viewed on youtube and on the club’s social media.