You’ve got to hand it to the Irish, they sure can sing. Although I have only a smattering of Irish blood, Irish folk songs have beguiled me since I was a boy. At the drop of a hat I could sing dozens and dozens of Irish folk songs by heart, so keep a good grip on your headwear in my vicinity.
But something about Irish songs has perplexed me. They have plenty of songs celebrating their heroes, but have you noticed something about their heroes?
Roddy McCorley Up the narrow streets he strides, smiling, proud, and young
Upon the hang-rope on his neck, his golden ringlets flung,
There was never a tear in his blue eyes, both sad and bright are they,
For young Roddy McCorley goes to die on the Bridge of Toome today.
The Minstrel Boy
The minstrel fell but the yeoman’s chains
Could not pull that proud soul under
Kelly the Boy from Kilanne
Poor Wexford stripped naked hung high on a cross
With her heart pierced by traitors and knaves
Boulavogue
At Vinegar Hill, o’er pleasant Slaney,
Our heroes vainly stood back to back,
The British soldiers took Father Murphy
And burned his body upon the rack
The Dying Rebel
My only son was shot in Dublin,
Fighting for his country bold
Tiperrary
His comrades gathered around him
To bid him a last farewell
He was as true and as brave a lad
As ever in battle fell
The Croppy Boy
As I stood on the gallows high,
My aged father did me deny
Foggy Dew
While Britannia’s sons with their long range guns
Sailed in through the foggy dew
the bravest fell, and the mourning bell rang mournfully and clear
For those who died that Eastertide in the springing of the year
Kevin Barry
In Mount Joy Jail one Monday morning,
High upon the gallow’s string
Kevin Barry gave his young life
For the cause of liberty.
But a lad of 18 summers,
Yet no true man can deny,
As he walked to death that morning,
He proudly held his head up high.
James Connolly
He went to his death like a true son of Ireland
The firing party he bravely did face.
Then the order sang out: Present arms, fire!
James Connolly fell into a newly dug grave.
God Save Ireland
High upon the gallows tree swung the noble hearted three~~
I could go on, but you should notice the trend by now: all their heroes get exterminated, many by execution rather than on the battlefield.
For a long time I have wondered why it is that Irish folk songs always go on and on about how bravely their heroes met their deaths. Can't they think more positively?
The answer occurred to me: the Irish have never won a war. I am no authority on Irish history, but I think that throughout their history, they have lost every war they fought, or rather, if they did win any wars, those wars were fought against other Irish.
Please correct me if I am wrong, but off the top of my head, I cannot think of a single war the Irish won.
Now I’ve said that, the IRA will probably bomb my blog.
The luck of the Irish! But happy Saint Patrick’s Day anyway. God save Ireland, just so they can keep singing.