The Men Behind the Wire
 |
The Men Behind The Wire is an Irish human rights song written and composed by Paddy McGuigan of the Barleycorn folk group in the aftermath of the imposition of internment without trial of almost 2000 men between the ages of 16 and 75, almost 1900 were catholic nationalists and over 100 were loyalists who had been arrested across Northern Ireland in 1971.
The lyrics record the wrecking of homes and brutal treatment of prisoners and their families by the British Army and the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the arrest of individuals who were detained without trial in Long Kesh, a prison in Northern Ireland subsequently known as the Maze Prison. The central message of the song was contained in the last line of the chorus,
In other words, it was a call for the nationalist community to show 'solidarity' with the innocent 'men behind the wire' be they loyalist or nationalist of Long Kesh.
Though regularly sung in the 1970s and early 1980s, the song is less often heard now.
A cover version has been done by loyalist singers telling the story of a paramilitary member who is arrested for an act of "bravery" and could not be happier to serve with his fellow loyalist heroes.
It was revealed on 8 December, 2008 that the singer Dido had been wrongly criticised by Gregory Campbell, MP for East Londonderry and Minister for Sports, Arts and Leisure of Belfast, Ireland, for referencing lyrics from the song. [1] A study of the lyrics will show it contains no such material as mr.campbell alledged and this accusation was a malicious falsehood.