Irish rebel music

Irish rebel music is a subgenre of Irish folk music, with much the same instrumentation, but with lyrics predominantly concerned with Irish republicanism.

History

Republican Prisoners have used music as a form of protest during The Troubles in Northern Ireland.

The tradition of rebel music in Ireland dates back many centuries, dealing with historical events such as uprisings, describing the hardships of living under oppressive rule, but also strong sentiments of solidarity, loyalty, determination, as well as praise of valiant heroes.

As well as a deep-rooted sense of tradition, rebel songs have nonetheless remained contemporary, and since 1922, the focus has moved onto the nationalist cause in Northern Ireland, including support for the IRA and Sinn Féin. However, the subject matter is not confined to Irish history, and includes the exploits of the Irish Brigades who fought for both France and Spain, and also those who fought during the American Civil War.

Over the years, a number of bands have performed "crossover" music, that is, Irish rebel lyrics and instrumentation mixed with other, more pop styles. Damien Dempsey is known for his pop-influenced rebel ballads and bands like Seanchai and the Unity Squad and Beltaine's Fire combine Rebel music with Political hip hop and other genres.^{[citation needed]}

Contemporary music

Irish rebel music has occasionally gained international attention. The Wolfe Tones' version of A Nation Once Again was voted the number one song in the world by BBC World Service listeners in 2002. Many of the more popular groups recently such as Saoirse , Éire Óg, Athenrye, Shebeen, Mise Éire and Pádraig Mór are from Glasgow. The Bog Savages of San Francisco are fronted by an escapee from Belfast's Long Kesh prison who made his break in the September 1983 "Great Escape" by the IRA.

Music of this genre has often courted controversy with some of this music effectively banned from the airwaves in the Republic of Ireland in the 1980s. More recently, Derek Warfield's music was banned from Aer Lingus flights, after the Ulster Unionist politician Roy Beggs Jnr compared his songs to the speeches of Osama bin Laden. However, a central tenet of the justification for rebel music from its supporters is that it represents a long-standing tradition of freedom of speech.

List of notable artists

• Athenrye
• Alistair Hulett
• Barleycorn
• Battering Ram
• Bible Code Sundays
• Bik mcFarlane
• Billy Briggs
• Black 47
• The Bleeding Irish: Friotaíocht The Bleeding Irish
• The Spirit of Sixty 7
• No Irish Need Apply Bluestack
• The Bog Savages: Playing Irish rebel music in the San Francisco Bay area The Bog Savages
• Tommy Dempsey
• David kincaid
• Dan Hannon
• Declan Hunt
• Blackstairs Rebel
• Ciaran Murphy
• Boston's Erin Og
• Charlie and The Bhoys
• Christy Moore
• The Clancy Brothers
• Derek Warfield
• Gary Óg
• Glasnevin
• Hair Of The Dog
• Irish Brigade
• Mise Éire
• Liam Byrne
• The Paddywagon Band
• Paddy Rooney
• Padraig Mór
• Pangur Bán
• Pat Chessell
• Rebel Hearts
• Saoirse
• Seanchai
• Shebeen
• Slievenamon
• Music of Mark O'Neill
• Spirit of Freedom
• Seanchai & the Unity Squad
• The Galtee Mountain Bhoys
• The Rising
• Ray Collins
• The Dubliners
• The Foggy Dew
• The Wakes
• Young Dubliners
• Wilderness 1916
• Wolfhound
• Wolfe Tones
• The Young Wolfe Tones
• The Village Folk
• Mike Fox AKA FoxyBhoy

List of notable songs

• Belfast Brigade
• Back Home in Derry
• Come All You Warriors
• Come Out Ye Black And Tans
• Connaught Rangers (aka The Drums Were Beating)
• The Decommission Song / Stuff Your Decommission
• Erin Go Bragh
• Follow me up to Carlow
• Peter Crowley
• Connolly Was There
• Fighting Men from Crossmaglen
• Join the British Army
• Give Ireland Back To The Irish
• Go On Home British Soldiers
• God Save Ireland
• Green, White and Gold
• Irish Citizen Army
• Johnston's Motor Car
• Let the People Sing
• My Fathers Gun
• My Little Armalite
• Northern Gaels/Crumlin Jail
• Oró Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile
• Say Hello To The Provos
• Some Say the Devil is Dead
• Roll Of Honour
• The Bold Fenian Men
• Tiocfaidh ár lá
• The Great Fenian Ram
• The Broad Black Brimmer
• The Eyes Of The IRA
• The Helicopter Song
• The Men Behind the Wire
• The Minstrel Boy
• Old Fenian Gun
• The Peeler and the Goat
• The Rifles of the IRA
• The Sam Song
• You'll Never Beat the Irish
• My Old Mans A Provo

Ballads

• Ambush At Drumnakilly
• Amhrán na bhFiann (aka The Soldier's Song) - The Irish National Anthem
• A Nation Once Again
• Banna Strand (aka Lonely Banna Strand)
• Boolavogue
• Death Before Revenge
• Down by the Glenside (The Bold Fenian Men)
• Dunlavin Green
• Dying Rebel
• Éamonn an Chnoic (aka Ned of the Hill)
• Foggy Dew
• Four Green Fields
• Gerard Casey
• Ireland Unfree
• Kevin Barry
• Only Our Rivers Run Free
• Pearse Jordan
• Sean South
• Seán Treacy
• Skibbereen
• Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six
• The Ballad of Mairead Farrell
• Take It Down from the Mast
• The Ballad of Ballinamore
• Ballad of Mairead Farrell
• The Boys of the Old Brigade
• The Boys of Wexford
• The Croppy Boy
• The Fields of Athenry
• The Patriot Game
• The People's Own MP
• The Rising of the Moon
• The Town I Loved So Well
• The Valley of Knockanure
• The Wearing of the Green
• The Wind that Shakes the Barley
• There Were Roses
• Tom Williams
• Tone's Grave (aka Bodenstown Churchyard)
• Women of Ireland (aka Mná na h-Éireann)
• Pat of Mullingar
• James Connolly
• Arthur McBride

Sunday Bloody Sunday

U2's 1983 hit, "Sunday Bloody Sunday", contrary to popular belief, is "not a rebel song" as lead singer Bono would say during their War Tour before they played the song. Its lyrics describe the horror felt by an observer of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, mainly focusing on the Bloody Sunday incident in Derry where British troops shot at civil rights marchers. The song suggests, not that Northern Ireland should become its own state or that the British continue to rule, but that they should find a solution to the dispute without violence.

In response, Sinead O'Connor released a song with the title of 'This is a Rebel Song'.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Protest song