The date had long been fixed to mark Hoops skipper Jackie McNamara’s 10 years of service but subsequent events had also turned it into the mother of all leaving dos.

It was the final fixture of the Martin O’Neill era, with the manager having made the decision to step down to care for wife Geraldine, who has cancer.

The Northern Irishman, however, was keen to keep the focus on McNamara and the players and kept a low profile until the final minutes.

It was the end of an era in many more ways as Paul Lambert begins his managerial career at Livingston tomorrow and McNamara himself is one of many Hoops whose current contracts are due to expire before Gordon Strachan can name his first team as O’Neill’s successor.

With Celtic having won the Tennent’s Scottish Cup jut 23 hours previously - and celebrated the 1-0 defeat of Dundee United afterwards – it was unsurprising there was little urgency about the home side’s play.

And with the Republic keen to avoid injuries ahead of their World Cup qualification double header with Israel and the Faroe Islands there was a shortage of tackles flying in from the other side in green and white as well.

Chances arrived occasionally with Kevin Kilbane stabbing wide from close range before Craig Beattie forced a save from Celtic discard Shay Given at the other end.

Craig Bellamy had a well-taken finish chalked off by an offside flag before he ended his loan spell from Newcastle in the 35th minute and Robert Douglas, who is set to join Leicester, denied Sunderland striker Stephen Elliott with a smart block.

Beattie was far too slow after a run by Bellamy had taken out goalkeeper Given however as he allowed Steven Reid to nip in before he could locate the empty net.

Given then denied Bellamy before a hooped shirt got in the way of a close-range header from Elliott following a scramble in the Celtic area.

For the rest of the time the fans had to make their own entertainment however, and booing Liam Miller, who had left Parkhead for Manchester United last summer, was a popular choice.

A fan dressed as the Pope gave his blessing to the occasion from one corner and there were cheers for Bobo Balde, who is coveted by Bayern Munich, when he made a foray forward to fire in a long-ranger.

Shaun Maloney came on for Chris Sutton just after the half-hour mark and forced a tip-over from Given with a well-aimed free-kick.

The afternoon needed spicing up and the arrival of Roy Keane, Robbie Keane and Damian Duff, who missed the last six games of Chelsea’s season with a hamstring injury, after the interval injected some extra quality to the Ireland line-up.

And there were huge cheers when Henrik Larsson, arguably the greatest ever Celt, began his warm-up.

The Swede was still in the stands however when McNamara was replaced to cheers by Didier Agathe in only the 57th minute.

The man with the magnificent seven on his back came on two minutes later to even greater applause and the western theme music that had been unused since he left for Barcelona a year ago.

The only ingredient still missing was a goal but when Larsson was put through, by the rarely-sighted Momo Sylla, Maloney ended up getting in his way.

Maloney headed a good chance over before fellow old boy Lubo Moravcik joined Larsson to the fans’ delight and double agent Aiden McGeady, who had played for Celtic in the first half, reappeared for Ireland with 20 minutes remaining.

Magnus Hedman, who had come on for Douglas’ replacement David Marshall, denied Republic substitute Matt Holland with a block from eight yards.

Joe Murphy, Ireland’s third goalkeeper of the day, denied Sylla at his near post before a suspiciously offside-looking Robbie Keane chipped over at the other end.

Lambert bade his farewell with 10 minutes remaining to give another ex-Celt Simon Donnelly, currently of Dunfermline, his first game in a hooped shirt for six years.

Sylla was inches away from connecting with a cross from fellow O’Neill outcast David Fernandez and the game seemed destined to remain scoreless until Robbie Keane slotted home at the far post to convert a cross from Gary Docherty in stoppage time.

The post-match celebrations saw O’Neill pay tribute to McNamara and make an emotional farewell to the fans who had sung his name.