Johnny Halligan
Scottish footballer (1899-1977)
John Donegan Halligan (1899 – 1977) was a Scottish football player and manager. Halligan played as an inside left for Shawfield, Hibernian and Montrose.
Career
Halligan signed for Hibernian from Shawfield – a Junior side from south Glasgow – on 30 October 1920, around the same time as two other emerging forwards from the same area, Jimmy Dunn and John Walker, and all three became important members of the team which played in two losing Scottish Cup finals in 1923 (to Celtic) and 1924 (to Airdrieonians).
Halligan also remained with the club when they were relegated in 1931 and helped them regain their top division place two years later, winning the 1932–33 Scottish Division Two title. He was a regular in the team until his last game, at home to Falkirk on 14 October 1933, after which he was advised to retire on medical grounds. In all he played 457 times for Hibs in major competitions and scored 74 goals.
Halligan also worked for Hibernian as a coach and scout (from 1933), and in February 1936 was appointed caretaker manager of Hibernian (a job he apparently detested) after the resignation of Bobby Templeton; he held the position for over two months until Willie McCartney became manager. His managerial record in the league was played 11, won 6, drawn 1 and lost 4. He made a brief playing comeback for Montrose in the 1937–38 season.
He died in Glasgow in 1977, aged 77.
The public source identifies “Johnny Halligan” as scottish footballer (1899-1977). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Johnny, Halligan and Scottish.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Johnny Halligan”, the useful work is to connect “scottish footballer (1899-1977)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q16993588. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1899, 1977, 1920 and 1923.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Johnny Halligan”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Johnny Halligan primary sources, Johnny Halligan archive and Johnny research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Johnny Halligan”?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Johnny Halligan” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.