 They were formed in 1894 by Irish Catholic immigrants to the area in a similar way to the formation of Celtic in Glasgow and Hibernian in Edinburgh.There was also a junior club at the same time as Dumbarton Harp, formed in 1906.Their first game was against "Corinthians" (probably the local "Dumbarton Corinthians" that were around at this time) on 22 August 1906, losing 2–1.