The contrast between Cliftonville's Solitude ground and Celtic Park could hardly be more extreme. Still, for 3,500 fans it was 'Paradise' in north-Belfast last night.

As time marches by, birthdays usually become more and more low key, not wishing to divulge how many candles should be on the cake. Not here though, Ireland's oldest football club is 130 years old, proud of it and in the mood to celebrate.

They wanted a big bash to mark the occasion too — and that is exactly what they got.

In terms of support in Northern Ireland they don't come much bigger than Celtic — and certainly in this part of Belfast there isn't a more popular club.

Well, maybe other than the birthday boys.

Twenty-five years was too long for many connected with Cliftonville to wait for Celtic's return to north-Belfast. The fact that the 1984 meeting was marred with crowd trouble made a quicker return difficult for fear of some kind of repeat.

The feeling is that it won't be anything like that long before the Hoops return.

There's always a special buzz around Solitude on big nights, like when Linfield have visited for live television matches over the last two years. It was even more special this time though with high profile opposition occupying the away dressing room.

The big names like Aiden McGeady, Scott Brown, Scott McDonald and Georgios Samaras may not have been pulling on the famous green and white hooped shirts in there, but that mattered little to those who love both clubs.

And of course, there are many — shown by the number of green and white shirts mingling with red in the stands and on the terraces.

Those 3,500 tickets sold out a long time ago. Cliftonville could have sold as many again had the ground been big enough to accommodate them.

It's not often that grounds of Irish FA Premiership clubs are full, so when it happens it's great to see and the atmosphere follows like night following day.

When will we get another night like this at Solitude? Probably when – not if — Celtic return. Just as long as it's not in 2034.