The following are often-sung Irish folk ballad

Ballad

A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...

s and folksongs. The songs are arranged by theme under two main categories of 'Politics and soldiering' and 'Non-political' and are not necessarily contemporary to the events to which they relate.

Songs may fit into more than one category, but where possible are grouped uniquely to where is most appropriate.

Anti-War and Anti-Recruiting

• "Arthur McBride
  Arthur McBride
  "Arthur McBride" is an Irish folk song. It was first collected around 1840 in Limerick, Ireland by Patrick Weston Joyce; also in Donegal by George Petrie. Several versions are found in Scotland, Suffolk and Devon - the tunes differing slightly...
  
  " - an anti-recruiting song from Donegal
  Donegal
  Donegal or Donegal Town is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its name, which was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall, translates from Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" ....
  
  .
• "King's Shilling"
• "The Recruiting Sergeant" - song (to the tune of "The Peeler and the Goat") from the time of World War 1, popular among the Irish Volunteers
  Irish Volunteers
  The Irish Volunteers was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. It was ostensibly formed in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1912, and its declared primary aim was "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland"...
  
   of that period, recorded by The Pogues
  The Pogues
  The Pogues are a Celtic punk band, formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems but the band continued first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals before...
  
  .
• "Mrs. McGrath
  Mrs. McGrath
  "Mrs. McGrath" is an Irish folk song. The song tells the story of a woman whose son enters the British Army, and returns seven years later having lost his legs to a cannonball fighting against Napoleon in the Peninsular War. The general theme of the song is one of opposition to war, the mother...
  
  " - popular among the Irish Volunteers, 1916
• "The Saxon Shilling" - written by K. T. Buggy, 1840s
• "Sergeant William Bailey" - written by Peadar Kearney
  Peadar Kearney
  Peadar Kearney was an Irish republican and composer of numerous rebel songs. In 1907 he wrote the lyrics to "The Soldier's Song" , now the Irish national anthem.-Background:...
  
  , recorded by Dominic Behan
• "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye
  Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye
  "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" is a popular traditional Irish anti-war and anti-recruiting song. It is generally dated to the early 19th century, when Irish troops served the British East India Company...
  
  " - very old anti-war song

16th and 17th centuries

• "Alasdair MacColla (song)" - song dating from the 1640s about warrior Alasdair MacColla
  Alasdair MacColla
  Alasdair Mac Colla was a Scottish soldier. His full name in Scottish Gaelic was Alasdair Mac Colla Chiotaich Mac Domhnuill . He is sometimes mistakenly referred to in English as "Collkitto", a nickname that properly belongs to his father. He fought in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, most notably...
  
  . Still performed by Capercaillie and Clannad
  Clannad
  Clannad are an Irish musical group, from Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal. Their music has been variously described as bordering on folk and folk rock, Irish, Celtic and New Age, often incorporating elements of an even broader spectrum of smooth jazz and Gregorian chant...
  
  .
• "Follow me up to Carlow
  Follow Me up to Carlow
  "Follow Me Up to Carlow" is an Irish folk song celebrating the defeat of an army of 3,000 English soldiers by Fiach Mac Aodh Ó Broin at the Battle of Glenmalure, during the Second Desmond Rebellion in 1580.-Composition:...
  
  " - about Fiach MacHugh O'Byrne and the Second Desmond Rebellion
  Second Desmond Rebellion
  The Second Desmond rebellion was the more widespread and bloody of the two Desmond Rebellions launched by the FitzGerald dynasty of Desmond in Munster, Ireland, against English rule in Ireland...
  
   against Elizabeth I of England
  Elizabeth I of England
  Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
  
  , written in the 19th century by P.J. McCall
• "The Woods of Trugh" - concerning Eoin Roe O'Neill
• "Seán Ó Duibhir a'Ghleanna" - an Irish-language song dealing with the aftermath of the Battle of Aughrim
  Battle of Aughrim
  The Battle of Aughrim was the decisive battle of the Williamite War in Ireland. It was fought between the Jacobites and the forces of William III on 12 July 1691 , near the village of Aughrim in County Galway....
  
   in 1691, Roud Index no. 16907. Translated by George Sigerson
  George Sigerson
  George Sigerson was an Irish physician, scientist, writer, politician and poet. He was a leading light in the Irish Literary Revival of the late 19th century in Ireland.-Doctor and Scientist:...
  
  .
• "Jackets Green" - written by poet Michael Scanlon
  Michael Scanlon (poet)
  Michael Scanlon was an Irish nationalist, editor, poet and writer. He was known as the "Fenian poet" and is remembered as the author of stirring Irish ballads such as the "Bold Fenian Men" and "The Jackets Green".-Life:...
  
   about Patrick Sarsfield and the Flight of the Wild Geese
  Flight of the Wild Geese
  The Flight of the Wild Geese refers to the departure of an Irish Jacobite army under the command of Patrick Sarsfield from Ireland to France, as agreed in the Treaty of Limerick on October 3, 1691, following the end of the Williamite War in Ireland...
  
  
• "The Sash
  The Sash
  The Sash is a ballad from Ireland commemorating the victory of King William III in the Williamite war in Ireland in 1690–1691....
  
  " - recalling the Boyne
  Battle of the Boyne
  The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thronesthe Catholic King James and the Protestant King William across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland...
  
   and other battles
• "On the green grassy slopes of the Boyne" - about the Battle of the Boyne
  Battle of the Boyne
  The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thronesthe Catholic King James and the Protestant King William across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland...
  
  

18th century

• "Clare's Dragoons
  Clare's Dragoons
  The Clare's Regiment, later known as Clare's Dragoons, was initially named O'Brien's Regiment after its originator Daniel O'Brien, 3rd Viscount Clare...
  
  " - written by Thomas Davis about one of the divisions of the Irish Brigades.
• "Gaol of Clonmel" (also known as the "Jail of Cluain Meala" (sung by Luke Kelly) and the "Convict of Clonmel") - translation by Jeremiah Joseph Callanan
  Jeremiah Joseph Callanan
  Jeremiah Joseph Callanan was an Irish poet born in County Cork, Ireland.Callanan studied for Catholic priesthood at Maynooth College, and afterwards law at Trinity College, Dublin, where he won two prizes for his poems...
  
   of the Irish-language "Príosún Chluain Meala", a song from the time of the Whiteboys
  Whiteboys
  The Whiteboys were a secret Irish agrarian organization in 18th-century Ireland which used violent tactics to defend tenant farmer land rights for subsistence farming...
  
  

1798 Rebellion

Songs relating to the Irish Rebellion of 1798

Irish Rebellion of 1798

The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...

 (though not necessarily contemporary):

• "Bagenal Harvey's Farewell (Bagenal Harvey's Lament)" - song about Bagenal Harvey
  Bagenal Harvey
  Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey was a barrister and a commander of the United Irishmen in the Battle of New Ross during the 1798 Rebellion....
  
  
• "Ballyshannon Lane" - about rebels fleeing from a battle in 1798
• "Billy Byrne of Ballymanus" - about one of the leaders of the rebellion
• "Boolavogue
  Boolavogue (song)
  "Boolavogue" is a famous Irish ballad commemorating the Irish Rebellion of 1798. It was composed by Patrick Joseph McCall in 1898, for the centenary of the Rebellion issued Irish Noíníns ....
  
  " - song about Father John Murphy, one of the leaders of the Wexford rebels, written by P.J. McCall (1861–1919) for the centenary anniversary in 1898
• "Boys of '98" - an Irish-American tribute
• "The Boys of Wexford
  The Boys of Wexford
  "The Boys of Wexford" is a famous Irish ballad commemorating the Irish Rebellion of 1798. The ballad was lyrics were composed by Patrick Joseph McCall and music by Arthur Warren Darley, who also composed other wexford ballads "Boolavogue", "Kelly the Boy from Killanne".-Lyrics::We are the boys of...
  
  " - written by P.J. McCall
• "By Memory Inspired" - a tributary role-call of many of the heroes who died in the rebellion
• "Come All You Warriors (Father Murphy)
  Come All You Warriors
  Come All You Warriors is a ballad concerning the rebellion against British rule that took place largely in Wexford, Ireland in 1798...
  
   - song written close to the time of the rebellion upon which later songs such as Boolavogue
  Boolavogue (song)
  "Boolavogue" is a famous Irish ballad commemorating the Irish Rebellion of 1798. It was composed by Patrick Joseph McCall in 1898, for the centenary of the Rebellion issued Irish Noíníns ....
  
   were based.
• "The Croppy Boy
  The Croppy Boy
  "The Croppy Boy" is an Irish ballad set in 1798 rising and is one of the saddest ballads of the rebellion, relating the despair of a doomed young "croppy" or rebel.-Broadside versions:...
  
  " - There are at least two songs by this name: "It was early, early in the spring..." and "Good men and true in this house...". They are concerned with the period following the suppression of the rebellion and how the climate of repression saw relatives and close family deny any links to condemned rebels for fear of being deemed guilty by association.
• "Croppies Lie Down
  Croppies Lie Down
  "Croppies Lie Down" is an anonymous Protestant loyalist anti-rebel folksong dating from the 1798 rebellion in Ireland celebrating the defeat and suppression of the rebels....
  
  " - a Unionist or Orangeman's perspective on the rebels triumphant defeat.
• "Dunlavin Green
  Dunlavin Green
  Dunlavin Green is an Irish ballad referring to the Dunlavin Green massacre which occurred in Dunlavin in Ireland in 1798 and resulted in the execution of 36 suspected rebel prisoners. The song is written from the perspective of a witness to the massacre. The song is one of the most popular Irish...
  
  " - a local ballad written in response to the Massacre of Dunlavin Green
  Massacre of Dunlavin Green
  The Massacre of Dunlavin Green refers to the summary execution of 36 suspected rebel prisoners by the British military shortly after the outbreak of the rebellion of 1798...
  
   which occurred on May 24, 1798
• "General Munroe", "Henry Munroe", "General Munroe's Lamentation" and "Henry Joy" - all songs about the United Irish leader Henry Joy McCracken
  Henry Joy McCracken
  Henry Joy McCracken was an Irish industrialist and a founding member of the Society of the United Irishmen.-History:...
  
  .
• "The Heroes of '98" - patriotic song by Bruce Scott.
• "Irish Soldier Laddie" - modern song about the events of 1798, written by Paddy McGuigan
  Paddy McGuigan
  Paddy McGuigan is an Irish musician who played for some years with the folk group Barleycorn. He has written some Irish rebel songs, including "The Men Behind the Wire", "The Boys of the Old Brigade", and "Irish Soldier Laddie"....
  
   of the Barleycorn
  The Barleycorn
  The Barleycorn were an Irish traditional music band who also played Irish rebel music.The band, consisting of Paddy McGuigan, Liam Tiernan, Brian McCormick and John Delaney was formed in mid-1971...
  
  
• "Jimmy Murphy
  Jimmy Murphy (song)
  Jimmy Murphy also known as 'Little Jimmy Murphy' is a song, possibly of music-hall origin, referencing the 1798 rebellion, which occurred largely in Wexford....
  
  " - song of music hall origin with distinctly unusual chorus
• "Kelly of Killanne" - ballad by P.J. McCall (1861–1919), recounting the exploits of John Kelly
  John Kelly of Killanne
  John Kelly was a United Irish leader who fought in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.While Kelly was obviously well known to rebel and loyalist alike during the short duration of the Wexford rising, almost nothing is known of him outside this time...
  
  , one of the most popular leader of the Wexford rebels.
• "The Liberty Tree" - Anonymous United Irishmen ballad in praise of the French Revolution
  French Revolution
  The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
  
  .
• "The Man from God Knows Where" - poem by Florence Wilson (set to music by Tom Hickland of Five Hand Reel
  Five Hand Reel
  Five Hand Reel was a Scottish/English/Irish Celtic rock band of late 1970s that combined experiences of traditional Scottish and Irish folk music with electric rock arrangements...
  
  ) about Thomas Russell, leader of the United Irishmen in Ulster, executed in Downpatrick in 1803
• "The Memory of the Dead" Ballad recalling the rebellion's heroes by John Kells Ingram
  John Kells Ingram
  John Kells Ingram was an economist, Irish patriot and poet.-Academic contributions:Ingram was remarkable for his versatility....
  
  .
• "The Minstrel Boy
  The Minstrel Boy
  "The Minstrel Boy" is an Irish patriotic song written by Thomas Moore who set it to the melody of The Moreen, an old Irish air. It is widely believed that Moore composed the song in remembrance of a number of his friends, whom he met while studying at Trinity College, Dublin and who had...
  
  " - in remembrance of a number of friends of Thomas Moore
  Thomas Moore
  Thomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer. He was responsible, with John Murray, for burning Lord Byron's memoirs after his death...
  
   who lost their lives in the rebellion.
• "The Rambler from Clare"
• "The Rising of the Moon
  The Rising of the Moon
  "The Rising of the Moon" is an Irish ballad recounting a battle between the United Irishmen and the British Army during the Irish Rebellion of 1798.-Description:...
  
  " - written by John Keegan Casey
  John Keegan Casey
  John Keegan 'Leo' Casey , known as the Poet of the Fenians, was an Irish poet, orator, novelist and Republican who was famous as the writer of the song "The Rising of the Moon" and as one of the central figures in the Fenian Rising of 1867. He was imprisoned by the English and died on St...
  
   in the 1860s, this ballad invokes the hope and optimism surrounding the outbreak of the Irish rebellion of 1798.
• "Roddy McCorley" - ballad by Ethna Carbery
  Ethna Carbery
  Ethna Carbery was an Irish journalist, writer and poet. She is best-known for the ballad Roddy McCorley and the Song of Ciabhán; the latter was set to music by Ivor Gurney. Along with Alice Milligan she published two Irish nationalist magazines.-Life:Anna Johnston was born in Ballymena, County...
  
   lamenting the execution of the young Antrim
  County Antrim
  County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
  
   Presbyterian rebel, Roddy McCorley
  Roddy McCorley
  Roddy McCorley was a United Irishman and a participant in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.-Life:...
  
  .
• "The Sean-Bhean bhocht
  The Sean-Bhean bhocht
  The Sean-Bhean bhocht, Irish for the "Poor old woman" , is a traditional Irish song from the period of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, and dating in particular to the lead up to a French expedition to Bantry Bay, that ultimately failed to get ashore in 1796.The Sean-Bhean bhocht is used to personify...
  
  " - the "Poor old woman," i.e. Ireland, is about to be liberated in tandem with the French. Also known as "The French are on the Sea"
• "Sliabh na mBan" - an Irish-language song composed by Michéal O Longáin of Carrignavar and translated by Seamus Ennis
  Séamus Ennis
  Séamus Ennis was an Irish piper, singer and folk-song collector.- Early years :In 1908 James Ennis, Séamus's father, was in a pawn-shop in London. Ennis bought a bag of small pieces of Uilleann pipes. They were made in the early nineteenth century by Coyne of Thomas Street in Dublin. James worked...
  
  , about the massacre in July 1798 of a party of Tipperary insurgents at Carrigmoclear on the slopes of Slievenamon
  Slievenamon
  Slievenamon is a mountain in County Tipperary in the province of Munster in Ireland. It stands at 721 m . It is located in the south of the county, near the town of Clonmel...
  
  
• "Tone's Grave
  Tone's Grave
  Tone's Grave, often referred to as Bodenstown churchyard, was written by Thomas Davis , the Young Ireland leader, and published first in their newspaper "The Nation". It was written following his visit to the grave of Wolfe Tone in Bodenstown, co. Kildare c...
  
  " - lament for Wolfe Tone, United Irish leader, the ballad is more commonly known as "Bodenstown
  Bodenstown
  Bodenstown is a townland on the outskirts of Sallins in County Kildare, Ireland.The most notable local features are a golf club and the parish cemetery for Sallins. The cemetery is best known as the gravesite of Theobald Wolfe Tone, the eighteenth century Irish revolutionary and leader of the...
  
   Churchyard". Written by Thomas Davis
  Thomas Osborne Davis (Irish politician)
  Thomas Osborne Davis was a revolutionary Irish writer who was the chief organizer and poet of the Young Ireland movement.-Early life:...
  
  , one of the leaders of Young Ireland
  Young Ireland
  Young Ireland was a political, cultural and social movement of the mid-19th century. It led changes in Irish nationalism, including an abortive rebellion known as the Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848. Many of the latter's leaders were tried for sedition and sentenced to penal transportation to...
  
   movement.
• "The Wake of William Orr"
• "The Wearing of the Green
  The Wearing of the Green
  "The Wearing of the Green" is an anonymously-penned Irish street ballad dating to 1798. The context of the song is the repression around the time of the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Wearing a shamrock in the "caubeen" was a sign of rebellion and green was the colour of the Society of the United...
  
  " - song about repression after the rebellion.
• "The Wind that Shakes the Barley
  The Wind That Shakes the Barley (song)
  "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" is an Irish ballad written by Robert Dwyer Joyce , a Limerick-born poet and professor of English literature. The song is written from the perspective of a doomed young Wexford rebel who is about to sacrifice his relationship with his loved one and plunge into the...
  
  " - a young man's remorse at leaving his lady love to join the United Irishmen is cut short when she is killed by an English bullet (Roud Index 2994). Written by Robert Dwyer Joyce
  Robert Dwyer Joyce
  Robert Dwyer Joyce was an Irish poet, writer, and collector of traditional Irish music.-Life:He was born in County Limerick, Ireland, where his parents, Garret Joyce and Elizabeth O'Dwyer, lived in the northern foothills of the Ballyhoura Mountains, west of Ballyorgan...
  
   (1836–1883).

19th century

• "An Spailpín Fánach" , relating to the time of the Irish Brigades in France. The air is "The Girl I Left Behind
  The Girl I Left Behind
  "The Girl I Left Behind" also known as "The Girl I Left Behind Me" is a long-standing popular folk tune and song, dated by most authorities to the late 18th or early 19th century.-History:...
  
  ". Translated by George Sigerson
  George Sigerson
  George Sigerson was an Irish physician, scientist, writer, politician and poet. He was a leading light in the Irish Literary Revival of the late 19th century in Ireland.-Doctor and Scientist:...
  
   as "The Roving Worker"
• "A Nation Once Again
  A Nation Once Again
  "A Nation Once Again" is a song, written in the early to mid-1840s by Thomas Osborne Davis . Davis was a founder of an Irish movement whose aim was the independence of Ireland....
  
  " - 19th century Irish nationalist anthem by Thomas Davis
  Thomas Osborne Davis (Irish politician)
  Thomas Osborne Davis was a revolutionary Irish writer who was the chief organizer and poet of the Young Ireland movement.-Early life:...
  
  
• "Avenging and Bright" - patriotic song by Thomas Moore
  Thomas Moore
  Thomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer. He was responsible, with John Murray, for burning Lord Byron's memoirs after his death...
  
  
• "Down by the Glenside (The Bold Fenian Men)
  Down by the Glenside (The Bold Fenian Men)
  "Down by the Glenside " is an Irish rebel song written by Peadar Kearney, an Irish Republican and composer of numerous rebel songs, including "The Soldier's Song" , now the Irish National Anthem....
  
  " - song by Peadar Kearney
  Peadar Kearney
  Peadar Kearney was an Irish republican and composer of numerous rebel songs. In 1907 he wrote the lyrics to "The Soldier's Song" , now the Irish national anthem.-Background:...
  
   about the 19th-century Fenians
• "The Bold Fenian Men" - song about the Fenians by poet Michael Scanlon
  Michael Scanlon (poet)
  Michael Scanlon was an Irish nationalist, editor, poet and writer. He was known as the "Fenian poet" and is remembered as the author of stirring Irish ballads such as the "Bold Fenian Men" and "The Jackets Green".-Life:...
  
  , recorded by the Wolfe Tones
• "The Felons of Our Land" - written by Arthur Forrester of County Monaghan
• "The Fields of Athenry
  The Fields of Athenry
  "The Fields of Athenry" is an Irish folk ballad set during the Great Irish Famine about a fictional man named Michael from near Athenry in County Galway who has been sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay, Australia, for stealing food for his starving family...
  
  " - 1970s song by Pete St. John
  Pete St. John
  Pete St. John is an Irish folk singer-songwriter, most notable for composing Fields of Athenry.St. John is a prolific composer of widely sung modern ballads; his other most famous song is "The Rare Ould Times"...
  
   about the Great Irish Famine
• "God Save Ireland
  God Save Ireland
  "God Save Ireland" is an Irish rebel song. It served as an unofficial Irish national anthem for Irish nationalists from the 1870s to the 1910s. During the Parnellite split it was the anthem of the anti-Parnellite Irish National Federation....
  
  "- Irish nationalist anthem, written by T. D. Sullivan in 1867 about the Manchester Martyrs
  Manchester Martyrs
  The Manchester Martyrs – William Philip Allen, Michael Larkin, and Michael O'Brien – were members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, an organisation dedicated to ending British rule in Ireland. They were executed for the murder of a police officer in Manchester, England, in 1867, during...
  
  
• "Let Erin Remember" - written by Thomas Moore.
• "The Manchester Martyrs" - also called "The Smashing of the Van", song about the Manchester Martyrs
  Manchester Martyrs
  The Manchester Martyrs – William Philip Allen, Michael Larkin, and Michael O'Brien – were members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, an organisation dedicated to ending British rule in Ireland. They were executed for the murder of a police officer in Manchester, England, in 1867, during...
  
  
• "McCafferty
  McCafferty
  "McCafferty" is a traditional song which originated as a street-ballad about Patrick McCaffrey, executed in 1862 for the killing of two of his officers. It is particularly popular in Ireland, where McCaffrey came from, and was recorded by The Dubliners...
  
  " - a broadside ballad relating the true story of an Irish soldier who shot dead two of his British officers.
• "The Harp that Once Through Tara's Halls" - anthem of County Meath
  County Meath
  County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
  
   - one of Moore's Melodies
• "Patrick Sheehan
  Glen of Aherlow (song)
  The Glen of Aherlow is a traditional Irish song which originated as a ballad written by Irish republican Charles Joseph Kickham...
  
   (The Glen of Aherlow)" - by Charles Kickham
  Charles Kickham
  Charles Joseph Kickham was an Irish revolutionary, novelist, poet, journalist and one of the most prominent members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood.-Early life:...
  
  , based on the true story of an Irish soldier wounded in the Crimean War.
• "She Is Far From The Land" - written by Thomas Moore.
• Skibbereen
  Skibbereen (song)
  Skibbereen, also known as Dear Old Skibbereen, is an Irish folk song, in the form of a dialogue wherein a father tells his son about the Irish famine, being evicted from their home, and the need to flee as a result of the Young Ireland rebellion of 1848.-History:The first known publication of the...
  
   (also called "Dear Old Skibbereen" or "Remember Skibbereen") - a 19th-century song by Patrick Carpenter recalling the Irish Famine of 1845-1847.
• "The West's Awake" - written by Thomas Davis.
• "O'Donnell Abu" - written in 1843 by Michael Joseph MacCann (1824–1883), about Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell
  Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell
  Rudhraighe Ó Domhnaill, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell was the last King of Tír Chonaill . An apparent original of the Letters Patent of the Earldom are in the possession of Graf O'Donell von Tyrconnell in Austria, although that family did not inherit the title, nor the related territorial Lordship of...
  
  
• "Ye Men of Sweet Liberties Hall" - written by Dubliner Zozimus
  Zozimus
  Michael J. Moran , popularly known as Zozimus, was an Irish street rhymer. He was a resident of Dublin and also known as the "Blind Bard of the Liberties" and the "Last of the Gleemen".-Biography:...
  
   (Michael Moran, 1794–1846)

Napoleonic Wars

• "The Bonny Bunch of Roses"
• "Bonny Light Horseman" - collected by Sam Henry
  Sam Henry (musicologist)
  Sam Henry was an Irish folk-song collector, photographer and folklorest, best known for his collection of ballads and songs in Songs of the People...
  
   and others, recorded by Frank Harte
  Frank Harte
  Frank Harte was a traditional Irish singer, song collector, architect and lecturer. He was born and raised in Dublin. His father Peter Harte who had moved from a farming background in Sligo owned 'The Tap' pub in Chapelizod...
  
  , Planxty
  Planxty
  Planxty is an Irish folk music band formed in the 1970s, consisting initially of Christy Moore , Dónal Lunny , Andy Irvine , and Liam O'Flynn...
  
  , Dolores Keane
  Dolores Keane
  Dolores Keane is an Irish folk singer and occasional actress. She was a founding member of the successful group De Dannan, and has since embarked on a very successful solo career, establishing herself as one of the most loved interpreters of Irish song.-Background:Keane was born in a small village...
  
   & John Faulkner
• "Eighteenth of June" - recorded by Frank Harte
• "Grand Conversation on Napoleon"
• "Granuaile" - recorded by Frank Harte
• "The Green Linnet"
• "Isle of Saint Helena"
• "Lonely Waterloo" - recorded by Frank Harte, Daithi Sproule
  Dáithí Sproule
  Dáithí Sproule is a guitarist and singer of traditional Irish music from Derry, Northern Ireland. His niece is the singer songwriter Claire Sproule.-Biography:...
  
  
• "Napoleon Bonaparte"
• "Napoleon's Dream"
• "Napoleon's Farewell to Paris" - recorded by Frank Harte
• "Napoleon's Lamentation"
• "My Love at Waterloo"
• "The Plains of Waterloo" - several songs by this name, including "As I rode out one bright summer's morning...", "On the fourteenth day of June, me boys...".
• "The Royal Eagle"
• "Wounded Hussar"
• "Welcome Napoleon to Erin" - recorded by Frank Harte

The Great War 1914 - 1918

• "The Connaght Rangers" - by Charles Martin. Not to be confused with the song of the same name by Brian Warfield which refers to the mutiny of the First Battalion of the regiment in response to the Irish war of independence.
• "Gallipoli"
• "Salonika" - there were two Cork songs with this title about the Irish serving in the British Army in the First World War, one for and one against. Jimmy Crowley collected the verses in his version from Mrs Ronayne of Cork.

1916 Rising

• "Erin Go Bragh" - written in 1920 by Peadar Kearney
  Peadar Kearney
  Peadar Kearney was an Irish republican and composer of numerous rebel songs. In 1907 he wrote the lyrics to "The Soldier's Song" , now the Irish national anthem.-Background:...
  
  , recorded by The Dubliners
  The Dubliners
  The Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962.-Formation and history:The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin...
  
  
• "The Foggy Dew" - about the Easter Rising
  Easter Rising
  The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
  
   of 1916, written by Canon Charles O’Neill in 1919.
• "James Connolly" - written by Patrick Galvin
  Patrick Galvin
  Patrick Galvin was an Irish poet, singer, playwright, and prose and screen writer born in Cork's inner city.-Biography:Galvin was born in Cork in 1927 at a time of great political transition in Ireland...
  
   about James Connolly
  James Connolly
  James Connolly was an Irish republican and socialist leader. He was born in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, to Irish immigrant parents and spoke with a Scottish accent throughout his life. He left school for working life at the age of 11, but became one of the leading Marxist theorists of...
  
  , labour leader
• "Grace" - written by Frank & Sean O'Meara in 1985, named after Grace Gifford
  Grace Gifford
  Grace Evelyn Gifford Plunkett was an Irish artist and cartoonist who was active in the Republican movement...
  
  , wife of 1916 leader Joseph Plunkett
• "Dublin City 1913" - the struggle from 1913 to 1916, written by Donagh MacDonagh
  Donagh MacDonagh
  Donagh MacDonagh was an Irish writer, judge, presenter, broadcaster, and playwright.-His private life:He was born in Dublin and was still a young child when his father Thomas MacDonagh, an Irish nationalist and poet, was executed in 1916.Tragedy struck again when his mother died of a heart attack...
  
  

War of Independence and Post-Treaty Republicanism

• "Arbour Hill" - about the burial place of 1916 leaders.
• "Ashtown Road" - a song about an ambush in Dublin in which an IRA Volunteer, Martin Savage, died. Recorded by The Wolfhound (singer Ray McAreavey) in 1972.
• "Amhrán na bhFiann
  Amhrán na bhFiann
  is the national anthem of Ireland. The music was composed by Peadar Kearney and Patrick Heeney, and the original English lyrics were authored by Kearney. It is sung in the Irish language translation made by Liam Ó Rinn. The song has three verses, but the national anthem consists of the chorus only...
  
  " - or the Soldiers Song", Irish Volunteers anthem, since 1927 the national anthem
  National anthem
  A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
  
   of the Irish Free State
  Irish Free State
  The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
  
  /Republic of Ireland
  Republic of Ireland
  Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
  
  
• "The Boys of Kilmichael" - ballad about the Kilmichael ambush
  Kilmichael Ambush
  The Kilmichael Ambush was an ambush near the village of Kilmichael in County Cork on 28 November 1920 carried out by the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence. Thirty-six local IRA volunteers commanded by Tom Barry killed seventeen members of the RIC Auxiliary Division...
  
   of 1920
• "The Boys of the County Cork" - written by Tom Murphy.
• "The Boys of the Old Brigade
  The Boys of the Old Brigade
  For the English slow march, see The Old BrigadeThe Boys of the Old Brigade is an Irish republican folk song written by Paddy McGuigan about the Irish Republican Army of the Irish War of Independence , and the anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.-Lyrics:The song describes a veteran of the Easter...
  
  " - nostalgic ballad about the "old IRA" written by Paddy McGuigan
  Paddy McGuigan
  Paddy McGuigan is an Irish musician who played for some years with the folk group Barleycorn. He has written some Irish rebel songs, including "The Men Behind the Wire", "The Boys of the Old Brigade", and "Irish Soldier Laddie"....
  
   of the Barleycorn
  The Barleycorn
  The Barleycorn were an Irish traditional music band who also played Irish rebel music.The band, consisting of Paddy McGuigan, Liam Tiernan, Brian McCormick and John Delaney was formed in mid-1971...
  
  
• "The Broad Black Brimmer
  The Broad Black Brimmer
  The Broad Black Brimmer is an Irish Republican folk song written by Noel Nagle of the Wolfe Tones.The song narrates the story of a boy whose father died before he was born, fighting in the Irish Republican Army. The narrator is asked by his mother to try on his father's old uniform and as he does...
  
  " written by Noel Nagle of the Wolfe Tones
  Wolfe Tones
  The Wolfe Tones are an Irish rebel music band who incorporate elements of Irish traditional music in their songs. They are named after the Irish rebel and patriot Theobald Wolfe Tone, one of the leaders of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, with the double entendre that a wolf tone is a spurious sound...
  
   in praise of the IRA during the War of Independence 1919-21 and specifically the IRA of the Civil War and after
• "Come Out Ye Black and Tans
  Come out Ye Black and Tans
  "Come Out, Ye Black and Tans" is an Irish rebel song referring to the Black and Tans, the British paramilitary police auxiliary force in Ireland during the 1920s. The song was written by Dominic Behan as a tribute to his father Stephen; often authorship of the song is attributed to Stephen...
  
  " - British Army-taunting song written by Dominic Behan
  Dominic Behan
  Dominic Behan was an Irish songwriter, short story writer, novelist and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. He was also a committed socialist and Irish Republican...
  
  
• "Dark Horse on the Wind" - poetic ballad by Liam Weldon
  Liam Weldon
  Liam Weldon was a singer and songwriter in the Irish folk tradition.-Life:Born in Dublin, Ireland, Liam, like many people in inner city Dublin at that time, was moved out of the developing city to Ballyfermot, a suburb on the outskirts of the city.Liam had a lifelong interest in the songs of the...
  
  
• "Dying Rebel
  Dying Rebel
  The Dying Rebel is an Irish rebel song about a man finding a dying Irish rebel from County Cork in Dublin during the 1916 Easter Rising. A popular version of the song was recorded by Éire Óg, although the song was written decades before the band formed....
  
  "
• "Drumboe Martyrs" - written about a Civil War
  Irish Civil War
  The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
  
   incident by Michael McGinley of Ballybofey. A new song "The Green Woods of Drumboe" was composed in 1974 by Eamonn Monaghan
• "Four Green Fields
  Four Green Fields
  Four Green Fields is a 1967 folk song by Irish musician Tommy Makem, described in the New York Times as a "hallowed Irish leave-us-alone-with-our-beauty ballad." Of Makem's many compositions, it has become the most familiar, and is part of the common repertoire of Irish folk musicians.-Content and...
  
  " - 1967 folk song, an allegory about partition by Tommy Makem
  Tommy Makem
  Thomas "Tommy" Makem was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked 5-string banjo, guitar, tin whistle, and bagpipes, and sang in a distinctive baritone...
  
  
• "Kevin Barry
  Kevin Barry (song)
  "Kevin Barry" is a popular Irish rebel song recounting the death of Kevin Barry, a member of the Irish Republican Army who was hanged on 1st November 1920. He was 18 years old at the time. He is one of a group of IRA members executed in 1920-21 collectively known as The Forgotten Ten.The ballad...
  
  " - about young medical student and Irish revolutionary Kevin Barry
  Kevin Barry
  Kevin Gerard Barry was the first Irish republican to be executed by the British since the leaders of the Easter Rising. Barry was sentenced to death for his part in an IRA operation which resulted in the deaths of three British soldiers.Barry's death is considered a watershed moment in the Irish...
  
   controversially executed during the Irish War of Independence
• "The Man from the Daily Mail" - song composed around 1918-19 mocking British media coverage of Ireland
• "The Merry Ploughboy" - written by Jeremiah Lynch to tune of "The Jolly Ploughboy"
• "Only Our Rivers Run Free", written by Mickey MacConnell
  Mickey MacConnell
  Mickey MacConnell is an Irish musician and song writer.-Life and work:Mickey MacConnell was born in Bellanaleck near Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. He is the youngest member of a musical family. He worked in Dublin for Irish Press Group and, later, with The Irish Times.Mickey...
  
  
• "Oró Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile
  Oró Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile
  Óró, Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile is a traditional Irish song, that came to be known as an Irish rebel song in the early 20th century.-History:...
  
  " - originally a jacobite
  Jacobitism
  Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
  
   tune, it later received new verses and was popularised by nationalist poet Padraic Pearse
• "Sean Treacy (song)" - ballad about an IRA man killed in Dublin in 1920
• "The Rifles of the IRA" - song disparaging the Black and Tans
  Black and Tans
  The Black and Tans was one of two newly recruited bodies, composed largely of British World War I veterans, employed by the Royal Irish Constabulary as Temporary Constables from 1920 to 1921 to suppress revolution in Ireland...
  
   and praising the IRA
• "The Valley of Knockanure
  The Valley of Knockanure
  The Valley of Knockanure is the name of several ballads commemorating an atrocity that occurred during the War of Independence at Gortaglanna near Knockanure, County Kerry, Ireland. The best-known of these was written by teacher and poet Bryan MacMahon The Valley of Knockanure is the name of...
  
   - the name of several songs, one by Bryan MacMahon
  Bryan MacMahon
  Bryan M. E. MacMahon is a Judge of the Irish High Court and the author of textbooks on Irish law. He is the son of short story writer Bryan MacMahon, and a native of Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland.-Legal career:...
  
  , about an incident in 1921
• "Some Say the Divil is Dead" - satirical song about the British Army
• "Take It Down From The Mast
  Take It Down from the Mast
  Take it Down from the Mast is an Irish Republican song written by Dominic Behan during the 1950s. Although it officially refers to the period of the Irish Civil War , it was written as a direct attack on those who acknowledged the Government of Ireland at the time of its writing.The flag in...
  
  " - anti-Treaty song about the Irish Civil War
  Irish Civil War
  The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
  
  
• "The Old Alarm Clock" - song by Phil Kelly about the Sabotage Campaign (IRA) of 1939, to the tune of "The Garden Where the Praties Grow".
• "The Patriot Game
  The Patriot Game
  "The Patriot Game" is an Irish ballad about an incident during the Border Campaign launched by the Irish Republican Army during the 1950s to bring about the reunification of Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland. It was written by Dominic Behan, younger brother of playwright Brendan...
  
  " written by Dominic Behan
  Dominic Behan
  Dominic Behan was an Irish songwriter, short story writer, novelist and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. He was also a committed socialist and Irish Republican...
  
   about Fergal O'Hanlon
  Fergal O'Hanlon
  Feargal O'Hanlon Feargal O'Hanlon Feargal O'Hanlon (Irish: Feargal Ó hAnnluain (b. 2 February 1936, Ballybay, County Monaghan, Ireland – d. 1 January 1957, Brookeborough, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland) was a member/volunteer in the Pearse Column of the Irish Republican Army....
  
   killed in action during the IRA border campaign
  Border Campaign (IRA)
  The Border Campaign was a campaign of guerrilla warfare carried out by the Irish Republican Army against targets in Northern Ireland, with the aim of overthrowing British rule there and creating a united Ireland.Popularly referred to as the Border Campaign, it was also referred to as the...
  
   of 1956-62.
• "Sean South of Garryowen
  Sean South of Garryowen
  “Sean South” is a song about Seán South, a member of the Pearse Column, who was fatally wounded during the attack on Brookeborough barracks in 1957. It is sung to the same tune as “Roddy McCorley"...
  
  " about Seán South
  Seán South
  Seán South was a member of an IRA military column led by Sean Garland on a raid against a Royal Ulster Constabulary barracks in Brookeborough, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland on New Year's Day, 1957...
  
  , killed in the same incident as O'Hanlon
• "Sean South of Limerick" - another song about Seán South, written by Dominic Behan
• "The Upton Ambush" - song about the Upton Train Ambush
  Upton Train Ambush
  The Upton Train Ambush took place on 15 February 1921, during the Irish War of Independence. The Irish Republican Army mounted an attack on a train carrying British soldiers at Upton, County Cork. The action was a disaster for the IRA; three of its volunteers were killed and two wounded. Six...
  
   which took place on 15 February 1921.

The Troubles (1969-98)

• "The Ballad Of Aidan McAnespie" - song about a young Catholic man
  Aidan McAnespie
  Aidan McAnespie was an Irish Catholic who was killed in contested circumstances by a bullet from a heavy machine-gun held by a soldier at Aughnacloy border checkpoint in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland during the Troubles....
  
  , shot by a British soldier while walking to a Gaelic football
  Gaelic football
  Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
  
   match, at Aughnacloy border checkpoint in County Tyrone
  County Tyrone
  Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
  
  .
• "The Ballad of Ed O'Brien" - song about Edward O'Brien
  Edward O'Brien (Irish republican)
  Edward O'Brien, more commonly known as Ed O'Brien or Eddie O'Brien, was a Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteer from Gorey in Co Wexford, Ireland.-Background:...
  
   who died in a bus explosion in London.
• "Ballad Of Mairéad Farrell" - song by Seanchai & The Unity Squad about Mairéad Farrell
  Mairéad Farrell
  Mairéad Farrell was an Irish volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army . She was killed by SAS soldiers during Operation Flavius, a British Army operation to prevent a bombing in Gibraltar.-Early life:...
  
   and two IRA members killed in 1988 in Gibraltar by the SAS
  Special Air Service
  Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
  
  .
• "Birmingham Six" - song about those wrongly accused of the Birmingham bombings
  Birmingham pub bombings
  The Birmingham pub bombings occurred on 21 November 1974 in Birmingham, England. The explosions killed 21 people and injured 182. The devices were placed in two central Birmingham pubs – the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town . Although warnings were sent, the pubs were not evacuated in time...
  
   in England in 1974.
• "Freedom's Sons" - written by Tommy Makem.
• "Gibraltar" - song in memory of the Gibraltar 3.
• "Enniskillen - At The War Memorial" - song about the Enniskillen Remembrance Day bombing of 1987
• "Fightin' Men Of Crossmaglen" - about South Armagh republicans
• "Give Me Your Hand
  Give Me Your Hand
  "Give Me Your Hand" is a tune from the early 17th century by Ruairí 'Dall' Ó Catháin, , perhaps in honour of a lady. It is one of the most widely recorded pieces of Irish and Scottish traditional music."Give Me Your Hand" is also the title of many another songs; e.g...
  
  " (Tabhair dom do Lámh) - words of reconciliation composed by Brian Warfield of the Wolfe Tones in 1974 to a 17th century tune by Ruairí 'Dall' Ó Catháin
• Go on Home British Soldiers
• "The Lambeg Drummer"
• "My Little Armalite
  Little Armalite
  "Little Armalite", "My Little Armalite" or "Me Little Armalite" is an Irish Republican song that praises the Armalite rifle which was used by republican paramilitaries against the British security forces in Northern Ireland....
  
   - early 1970s militant republican song
• "Loughall Martyrs" - song about 7 IRA men killed at Loughgall in 1987
• "The Men Behind the Wire
  The Men Behind the Wire
  "The Men Behind The Wire" is a song written and composed by Paddy McGuigan of the Barleycorn folk group in the aftermath of internment.The song was recorded by the Barleycorn in Belfast and pressed in Dublin by Release Records in December 1971...
  
  " - 1970s song about internment
  Internment
  Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
  
   in Northern Ireland
  Northern Ireland
  Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
  
  , composed by Paddy McGuigan
  Paddy McGuigan
  Paddy McGuigan is an Irish musician who played for some years with the folk group Barleycorn. He has written some Irish rebel songs, including "The Men Behind the Wire", "The Boys of the Old Brigade", and "Irish Soldier Laddie"....
  
   of the Barleycorn
  The Barleycorn
  The Barleycorn were an Irish traditional music band who also played Irish rebel music.The band, consisting of Paddy McGuigan, Liam Tiernan, Brian McCormick and John Delaney was formed in mid-1971...
  
  
• "Rock On Rockall - also known as "You'll get F'All from Rockall" - a satirical song from the Wolfe Tones, about Rockall, an Irish island disputed by Britain, Denmark and Iceland.
• "Roll of Honour
  Roll of Honour (song)
  Roll of Honour is an Irish rebel song that commemorates the participants in the 1981 Irish hunger strike.-Lyrics:Read the roll of honour for Ireland's bravest menWe must be united in memory of the ten,England you're a monster, don't think that you have wonWe will never be defeated while Ireland has...
  
  " - Republican song about the hunger strike of 1981
• "Rubber bullets for the ladies" - 1970s song about the British Army
  British Army
  The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
  
   in Northern Ireland
• "SAM Song" - song praising the Provisional IRA and their acquisition of surface to air missiles
• "Say Hello To The Provos" - PIRA song
• "There Were Roses" - song by Tommy Sands
  Tommy Sands (Irish folk singer)
  Tommy Sands , Mayobridge, County Down, Northern Ireland, is a folk singer, song writer, radio broadcaster, and political activist. He performs with his 3 siblings as The Sands Family; solo as Tommy Sands; and with his son and daughter as Tommy Sands with Moya and Fionán Sands...
  
   that portrays a tragic story of two friends
• "The Town I Loved So Well
  The Town I Loved So Well
  "The Town I Loved So Well" is a song written by Phil Coulter about his childhood in Derry, Northern Ireland. The first three verses are about the simple lifestyle he grew up with in Derry, while the final two deal with the Troubles, and lament how his placid hometown had become a major military...
  
  " - 1980s song about the impact of The Troubles
  The Troubles
  The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
  
   in Derry
  Derry
  Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
  
   (Composer: Phil Coulter
  Phil Coulter
  Phil Coulter is an artist with an international reputation as a successful songwriter, pianist, music producer, arranger and director. His success has spanned four decades and he is one of the biggest record sellers in Ireland...
  
  )
• "Up the Rebels" - also known as "Teddy's Head" due to a line in the chorus, song about the partition of Ireland.
• "The Winds Are Singing Freedom" - written by Tommy Makem

Miscellaneous and Uncategorised

• "As I Roved Out" - there are several different songs by this name
• "Danny Boy
  Danny Boy
  -Background:The words to "Danny Boy" were written by English lawyer and lyricist Frederic Weatherly in 1910. Although the lyrics were originally written for a different tune, Weatherly modified them to fit the "Londonderry Air" in 1913, after his sister-in-law in the U.S. sent him a copy. Ernestine...
  
  " - well-known Irish-American song, though the lyrics were written by an Englishman and only later set to an Irish tune
• "Dan O'Hara" - written and recorded by Delia Murphy
  Delia Murphy
  Delia Murphy was a singer and collector of Irish ballads. Her notable voice gave her the nickname the "Queen of Connemara".-Early life:...
  
  .
• "The Dawning of the Day
  The Dawning of the Day
  The Dawning of the Day is an old Irish air composed by the blind harpist Thomas Connellan in the 17th Century. An Irish-language song with this name was published by Edward Walsh in 1847 in Irish Popular Songs and later translated into English as The Dawning of the Day...
  
  " - 19th century song also known as "Fáinne Geal an Lae"
• "The Dublin Saunter (Dublin Can Be Heaven)" - by Leo Maguire
  Leo Maguire
  Patrick Leo Maguire, was an Irish singer, songwriter, and radio broadcaster.Born in Dublin's inner city, Maguire trained as a baritone under Vincent O'Brien, John McCormack's voice teacher. For many years he performed with the Dublin Operatic Society.Maguire was a prolific composer, writing over...
  
  , made famous by Noel Purcell
  Noel Purcell (actor)
  Noel Purcell was an Irish film and television actor.-Career:Purcell began his show business career at the age of 12 in Dublin's Gaiety Theatre. Later, he toured Ireland in a vaudeville act with Jimmy O'Dea....
  
  
• "Éamonn an Chnoic
  Éamonn an Chnoic
  "Éamonn an Chnoic" is a popular song in traditional Irish music. It is a slow, mournful ballad with a somber theme and no chorus.-Overview:...
  
   (Ned of the Hill) - about an Irish aristocrat dispossessed of his land by the English in the 17th century
• "Down by the Sally Gardens" - based on a poem by W.B. Yeats, which was based on a song he heard in his childhood.
• "The Gypsy Maiden" - Words & Music by Dick Farrelly
  Dick Farrelly
  Dick Farrelly born Richard Farrelly was an Irish songwriter, policeman and poet, composer of "The Isle of Innisfree", the song for which he is best remembered. His parents were publicans and when Dick was twenty-three he left Kells, County Meath for Dublin to join the Irish Police Force...
  
  . Recorded by Sinead Stone & Gerard Farrelly and The Bards.
• "The Hat My Father Wore" - written in the 19th century by Johnny Patterson
  Johnny Patterson
  John Francis Patterson was an Irish singer, song writer and circus entertainer.He was born in Kilbarron, Feakle, County Clare. Both his parents had died by the time he was three years old and so he was raised by an uncle in Ennis. At the age of 14 he enlisted in the 63rd Regiment of Foot which...
  
  
• "I'll Tell Me Ma
  I'll Tell Me Ma
  "I'll Tell Me Ma" is a well known children's song. It was collected in various parts of England in the 19th century and again appears in collections from shortly after the turn of the 20th century...
  
  " - a children's song
• "Irish Lullabye" - Written in the 1890s by James Royce Shannon, and made famous by Bing Crosby
  Bing Crosby
  Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
  
  
• "A Longford Legend"
• "Mother Macree"
• "Maggie" - also known as "Nora", modern words by Sean O'Casey
  Seán O'Casey
  Seán O'Casey was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes.- Early life:...
  
  
• "Molly Durkin
  Molly Durkin
  Molly Durkin is an Irish folk song made popular by Murty Rabbett in the 1940s in the United States. It is a derivation of the song Mursheen Durkin....
  
  "
• "The Old Bog Road" - a poem by Teresa Brayton
  Teresa Brayton
  Teresa Brayton was an Irish nationalist writer and poet.She was born Teresa Boylan at Kilbrook, Kilcock, in County Kildare. She emigrated to America in 1895 and settled first in New York but later moved to Boston. She married Richard Brayton, a French-Canadian and became well known in...
  
   from Kilcock
  Kilcock
  Kilcock or Killcock is a town and townland in the north of County Kildare, Ireland, on the border with County Meath. Kilcock is a dormitory town for many of those who work in Dublin...
  
  , County Kildare, set to music by Madeline King O'Farrelly from Rochfortbridge
  Rochfortbridge
  Rochfortbridge is a village in County Westmeath, Ireland, with a population of 1,473 persons. It is located at the intersection of the R400 and the N6 national primary route, which recently bypassed the village....
  
  , County Westmeath.
• "Ride On" - a 1980s song most identified with singer Christy Moore
  Christy Moore
  Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
  
  ; written by Jimmy McCarthy
  Jimmy McCarthy
  James "Jimmy" MacCarthy is a singer/songwriter born in Macroom, County Cork, Ireland.- Early life and career :Jimmy MacCarthy was born in 1953 to Ted and Betty MacCarthy . He has 11 siblings. The family had a business distributing newspapers and magazines all over Munster. However the family soon...
  
  
• "The Whistling Gypsy
  The Whistling Gypsy
  The Whistling Gypsy, sometimes known simply as The Gypsy Rover, is a well-known ballad composed and copyrighted by Dublin songwriter Leo Maguire about 1950....
  
  " - by Leo Maguire

Work and Industry

• "Hot Asphalt" - song about Irish navvies in Britain written by Ewan MacColl
  Ewan MacColl
  Ewan MacColl was an English folk singer, songwriter, socialist, actor, poet, playwright, and record producer. He was married to theatre director Joan Littlewood, and later to American folksinger Peggy Seeger. He collaborated with Littlewood in the theatre and with Seeger in folk music...
  
  , also recorded by The Dubliners
  The Dubliners
  The Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962.-Formation and history:The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin...
  
   and Frank Harte
  Frank Harte
  Frank Harte was a traditional Irish singer, song collector, architect and lecturer. He was born and raised in Dublin. His father Peter Harte who had moved from a farming background in Sligo owned 'The Tap' pub in Chapelizod...
  
  
• "McAlpine's Fusiliers" - song of the gangs of London navvies, written by Dominic Behan
  Dominic Behan
  Dominic Behan was an Irish songwriter, short story writer, novelist and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. He was also a committed socialist and Irish Republican...
  
  , made famous by The Dubliners
  The Dubliners
  The Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962.-Formation and history:The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin...
  
  
• "Molly Malone
  Molly Malone
  "Molly Malone" is a popular song, set in Dublin, Ireland, which has become the unofficial anthem of Dublin City....
  
  " - anthem of Dublin (dates from the 19th century).
• "Paddy On the Railway" - a compilation of verses of Irish work songs sung in England and the USA
• "Missing You (Christy Moore song)
  Missing You (Christy Moore song)
  Missing You is a folk song written by one of Ireland's best contemporary songwriters Jimmy MacCarthy in the 1980s. This song has been popularized by Christy Moore....
  
   - a popular Christy Moore
  Christy Moore
  Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
  
   song about the forgotten emigrants who worked in England during the 1980s. Written by Jimmy MacCarthy
• "The Cobbler" - Irish version of a song also called "Dick Darby", collected by Sam Henry
  Sam Henry (musicologist)
  Sam Henry was an Irish folk-song collector, photographer and folklorest, best known for his collection of ballads and songs in Songs of the People...
  
   and others

Love and Romance

These songs can be grouped as: aisling

Aisling

The aisling , or vision poem, is a poetic genre that developed during the late 17th and 18th centuries in Irish language poetry...

s, broken token songs, night visiting songs, modern songs, etc.

• "The Agricultural Irish Girl" - probably written in America, recorded by Val Doonican
  Val Doonican
  Val Doonican is an Irish singer. From 1965 to 1986 he was a regular fixture on the BBC Television's schedule with The Val Doonican Show, which featured his own singing performances and a variety of guest artists...
  
  
• "A Kiss In The Morning Early" - an old song, recorded by Mick Hanly
• "A Stór mo Chroí"
• "The Banks of the Roses"
• "The Black Velvet Band
  The Black Velvet Band
  "The Black Velvet Band" is a traditional English and Irish folk song describing transportation to Australia, a common punishment in 19th century Britain and Ireland. The song tells the story of a tradesman who meets a young woman who has stolen an item and passed it on to him...
  
  " - Irish version of a broadside ballad dating back to the early 19th century
• "The Blooming Flower of Grange" - a love song from Wexford
  County Wexford
  County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...
  
  
• "Connemara Cradle Song" - written and recorded by Delia Murphy
• "Courtin' in the Kitchen" - an old Dublin song recorded by Delia Murphy, among others
• "Come With Me Over The Mountain" also known as 'O'er the Mountain'.
• "Easy and Slow" - a Dublin song of somewhat constant innuendo
• "Eileen Oge" - by Percy French, also played as a reel
• "The Flower of Magherally"
• "The Forgetful Sailor" also known as Johnny Doyle
• "The Galway Shawl
  The Galway Shawl
  "The Galway Shawl" is a traditional Irish folk song, concerning a rural courtship in the West of Ireland. The first known version was collected by Sam Henry from Bridget Kealey in Dungiven in 1936...
  
  " - collected by Sam Henry
  Sam Henry (musicologist)
  Sam Henry was an Irish folk-song collector, photographer and folklorest, best known for his collection of ballads and songs in Songs of the People...
  
   in Dungiven
  Dungiven
  Dungiven is a small town and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is on the main A6 Belfast to Derry road. It lies where the rivers Roe, Owenreagh and Owenbeg meet at the foot of the Benbradagh. Nearby is the Glenshane Pass, where the road rises to over...
  
   in 1936
• "The Garden Where the Praties Grow" - written in the 19th century by Johnny Patterson
• "Ceol an Ghrá
  Ceol An Ghrá
  "Ceol an Ghrá" was Ireland's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1972, performed in Irish by Sandie Jones.Lyrically, the song is a ballad, with Jones singing about hearing "the music of love" wherever she is. She sings about being in The Land of the Young, which may also refer to Ireland itself...
  
  ", Ireland's 1972 Eurovision entry
• "The Girl from Donegal" - first recorded by Bridie Gallagher
  Bridie Gallagher
  Bridie Gallagher , is an Irish singer, affectionately known as The Girl from Donegal. She shot to fame in 1956 with her recording of A Mother's Love's A Blessing and achieved international acclaim with her legendary rendition of The Boys From County Armagh...
  
   and later used as her nickname
• "Goodbye Johnny Dear" - written in the 19th century by Johnny Patterson
• "The Holland Handkerchief" - an Irish version of The Suffolk Miracle
  The Suffolk Miracle
  -Synopsis:A young maiden of noble birth comes to love a young commoner, so her father sends her away. Whilst in exile, the maid wakes one night to find her lover at her window mounted upon a fine horse. They go out riding together until the man complains he has a headache; the maid tends to him and...
  
   (Child #272), sung by County Leitrim
  County Leitrim
  County Leitrim is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county...
  
   singer Mary McPartlan, Connie Dover
  Connie Dover
  Connie Dover is an American singer-songwriter who primarily writes and performs Celtic music and American folk music. Born in Arkansas and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, she started her career playing bluegrass before joining Celtic band Scartaglen in the early 1980s...
  
   and others
• "I Am Stretched on Your Grave
  I Am Stretched on Your Grave
  "I Am Stretched on Your Grave" is a translation of an anonymous 17th-century Irish poem titled "Táim sínte ar do thuama". It was translated into English several times, most notably by Frank O'Connor.It was put to music by musician Philip King in 1979....
  
  " - translation of a 17th-century Irish-language poem, "Táim Sínte ar do Thuama", first recorded by Philip King
  Philip King (musician)
  Philip King is a musician, film maker, and broadcaster. A founding member of the band Scullion, he is noted for his knowledge of the roots of Irish music and culture and its cross-fertilisation with those of the US in particular, he is a popular figure in Irish music circles...
  
  , later by Sinéad O'Connor
  Sinéad O'Connor
  Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
  
  .
• "If I Were a Blackbird" - an old song recorded by Delia Murphy
  Delia Murphy
  Delia Murphy was a singer and collector of Irish ballads. Her notable voice gave her the nickname the "Queen of Connemara".-Early life:...
  
  .
• "The Inside Car" - a dainty song of infatuation from Wexford.
• "He Rolled Her To The Wall"
• "Killyburn Brae" - Irish version of "The Farmer's Curst Wife" (Child #278)
• "The Lass of Aughrim" - an Irish version of Lord Gregory
  The Lass of Roch Royal
  -Synopsis:A woman comes to Gregory's castle, pleading to be let in; she is either pregnant or with a newborn son. His mother turns her away; sometimes she tells her that he went to sea, and she goes to follow him and dies in shipwreck. Gregory wakes and says he dreamed of her...
  
   (Child #75), used by James Joyce
  James Joyce
  James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
  
   in The Dead
  The Dead (short story)
  "The Dead" is the final short story in the 1914 collection Dubliners by James Joyce. It is the longest story in the collection and is often considered the best of Joyce's shorter works. At 15,672 words it has also been considered a novella....
  
  
• "The Last Rose of Summer
  The Last Rose of Summer
  The Last Rose of Summer is a poem by Irish poet Thomas Moore, who was a friend of Byron and Shelley. Moore wrote it in 1805 while at Jenkinstown Park in County Kilkenny, Ireland...
  
  " - written in 1805 by Thomas Moore
• "The Love Token"
• "The Maid from Ballygow"
• "Mary from Dungloe
  Mary from Dungloe
  Mary from Dungloe may refer to:*Mary from Dungloe *Mary from Dungloe...
  
  ", namesake for the popular festival.
• "The Mantle So Green" - also known as the Mantle of Green, a seminal broken token ballad.
• "My Lagan Love
  My Lagan Love
  "My Lagan Love" is a song to a traditional Irish air collected in 1903 in northern Donegal.The English lyrics have been credited to Joseph Campbell . Campbell was a Belfast man whose grand-parents came from the Irish-speaking area of Flurrybridge, South Armagh. He started collecting songs in County...
  
  " - words by Joseph Campbell
  Joseph Campbell (poet)
  Joseph Campbell was an Irish poet and lyricist. He wrote under the Gaelicised version of his name Seosamh Mac Cathmhaoil...
  
   (1879–1944) to a traditional air, recorded by Eileen Donaghy
  Eileen Donaghy
  Eileen Donaghy was an Irish traditional singer. Donaghy was well known for her recordings of ballads such as The Oul Lammas Fair and My Lagan Love and was known as the "First Lady of the Moy"....
  
  . Also arranged by Herbert Hughes
  Herbert Hughes (musicologist)
  Herbert Hughes was an Irish composer, music critic and collector of folk songs.He was born and brought up in Belfast, Ireland, but completed his formal music education at the Royal College of Music, London, graduating in 1901...
  
  .
• "My Singing Bird"
• "Siúil A Rúin
  Siúil A Rúin
  "Siúil a Rúin" is a tradtional Irish song, sung from the point of view of a woman lamenting a lover who has embarked on a military career, and indicating her willingness to support him...
  
  " - "Walk, my love"
• "The Spinning Wheel" - written in the 19th century by John Francis Waller
  John Francis Waller
  John Francis Waller was an Irish poet and editor.He was born at Limerick, educated at Trinity College, Dublin and was called to the Irish Bar in 1833...
  
   and recorded by Delia Murphy
  Delia Murphy
  Delia Murphy was a singer and collector of Irish ballads. Her notable voice gave her the nickname the "Queen of Connemara".-Early life:...
  
  .
• "Nancy Spain" - by Barney Rush, recorded by Christy Moore
• "The Nightingale" - Irish version of song dating from the 17th century (Laws P13), recorded by Liam Clancy
• "Noreen Bawn" - a song from Donegal made famous by Bridie Gallagher
  Bridie Gallagher
  Bridie Gallagher , is an Irish singer, affectionately known as The Girl from Donegal. She shot to fame in 1956 with her recording of A Mother's Love's A Blessing and achieved international acclaim with her legendary rendition of The Boys From County Armagh...
  
   and Ann Breen
  Ann Breen
  Ann Breen is an Irish female vocalist, who had a single called "Pal of my Cradle Days", in the UK singles charts. It was released on the Homespun label, entered the top 100 chart on 19 February 1983, and rose to a high of number 69; it only remained in the charts for one week.The song spent an...
  
  , recorded by Daniel O'Donnell
  Daniel O'Donnell
  Daniel or Danny O'Donnell may refer to:* Daniel O'Donnell, Irish singer* Daniel O'Donnell , American legislator from the state of New York* Danny O'Donnell * Danny O'Donnell...
  
  .
• "On Raglan Road
  On Raglan Road
  "On Raglan Road" is a well-known Irish song from a poem written by Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh named after Raglan Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin. In the poem the poet, walking on a "quiet street", recalls a love affair he had with a young woman...
  
  " - Patrick Kavanagh
  Patrick Kavanagh
  Patrick Kavanagh was an Irish poet and novelist. Regarded as one of the foremost poets of the 20th century, his best known works include the novel Tarry Flynn and the poems Raglan Road and The Great Hunger...
  
   poem to the 19th-century melody "The Dawning of the Day"
• "The Old Rustic Bridge by the Mill" - written by Thomas P. Keenan
  Thomas P. Keenan
  Thomas Peter Keenan , from Castletownroche, County Cork, Ireland, is the composer of such songs as "The Boys From The County Armagh", "A Mother's Love's A Blessing" and "The Old Rustic Bridge by the Mill." His songs have been widely recorded, most recently by Louise Morrisey, Foster and Allen and...
  
   from Castletownroche
  Castletownroche
  Castletownroche is a village on the N72 National secondary road in County Cork, Province of Munster, Ireland. In ancient times, it was known in Irish as Dún Chruadha, meaning Cruadha's Fort...
  
  , recorded by Foster and Allen, among others
• "Peigín Leitir Móir
  Peigín Leitir Móir
  "Peigín Leitir Móir" is a popular Irish folk song.The original verses of the song were written in Irish by Máirtín Ó Clochartaigh and Pádraic Ó Maille of Leitir Caladh around the turn of the 20th century. It was published in the review An Claidheamh Soluis in 1911...
  
  " - an Irish-language song from Galway.
• "The Rose of Inchicore" - written by Dublin singer/songwriter Mick Fitzgerald
• "The Rose of Tralee
  The Rose of Tralee (song)
  "The Rose of Tralee" is a nineteenth century Irish ballad about a woman called Mary, who because of her beauty was called The Rose of Tralee. The Rose of Tralee festival had been inspired by the ballad.The words of the song are credited to C...
  
  " - a 19th-century Kerry
  County Kerry
  Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
  
   song credited to C. (or E.) Mordaunt Spencer with music by Charles William Glover
• "The Rose of Clare" ("Lovely Rose of Clare") - written by Chris Ball
• "The Rose of Mooncoin
  The Rose of Mooncoin
  The Rose of Mooncoin is a ballad written in the 19th century by a local schoolteacher and poet named Watt Murphy, who met and gradually fell in love with a local girl called Elizabeth, also known as Molly. Elizabeth was just 20 years old, and Watt was then 56, but the difference in age was of no...
  
  " - a Kilkenny
  County Kilkenny
  County Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...
  
   song, written in the 19th century by a local schoolteacher and poet named Watt Murphy
• "The Rose of Slievenamon" - Recorded by Joseph Locke. Composed by Irish songwriter Dick Farrelly.
• "She Moved Through the Fair
  She Moved Through the Fair
  "She Moved Through the Fair" is a traditional Irish folk song, existing in a number of versions and which has been recorded many times.-Origins:...
  
  " - a traditional song collected in Donegal
  Donegal
  Donegal or Donegal Town is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its name, which was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall, translates from Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" ....
  
   by poet Padraic Colum
  Padraic Colum
  Padraic Colum was an Irish poet, novelist, dramatist, biographer, playwright, children's author and collector of folklore. He was one of the leading figures of the Celtic Revival.-Early life:...
  
  
• "Single Again" - also known as I Wish I Was Single Again.
• "Songs of Love" - 1990s song by The Divine Comedy
  The Divine Comedy (band)
  The Divine Comedy are a chamber pop band from Ireland, fronted by Neil Hannon. Formed in 1989, Hannon has been the only constant member of the group, playing, in some instances, all of the non-orchestral instrumentation bar drums. To date, ten studio albums have been released under the Divine...
  
   (theme music of Father Ted
  Father Ted
  Father Ted is a comedy series set in Ireland that was produced by Hat Trick Productions for British broadcaster Channel 4. Written jointly by Irish writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan and starring a predominantly Irish cast, it originally aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May...
  
  . Composer: Neil Hannon
  Neil Hannon
  Neil Hannon is a Northern Irish singer and songwriter, best known as the creator and frontman of the chamber pop group The Divine Comedy. The band's official website even goes so far as to say, "The Divine Comedy is Neil Hannon," and Hannon is quoted in an interview as saying, "The Divine Comedy...
  
  )
• "Star of the County Down
  Star of the County Down
  "Star of the County Down" is an old Irish ballad set near Banbridge in County Down, in Ireland. The words are by Cathal McGarvey, 1866-1927, from Ramelton, County Donegal...
  
  " - written by Cathal McGarvey (1866–1927), about a young man falling in love with the county's most beautiful lass
• "The Star of Donegal" - an old song recorded by Delia Murphy
  Delia Murphy
  Delia Murphy was a singer and collector of Irish ballads. Her notable voice gave her the nickname the "Queen of Connemara".-Early life:...
  
  .
• "The Star of Slane"
• "The Captain with the Whiskers" - an old song recorded by Delia Murphy
  Delia Murphy
  Delia Murphy was a singer and collector of Irish ballads. Her notable voice gave her the nickname the "Queen of Connemara".-Early life:...
  
  .
• "Molly Bawn
  Polly Vaughn
  -Synopsis:A man, sometimes called Johnny Randle, goes out hunting for birds. Usually this is described as being in the evening or by moonlight in the rain. He sees something white in the bushes. Thinking this is a swan, he shoots. To his horror he discovers he has killed his true love, Polly...
  
  " - tragic story about a man who shoots his young lover
• "Thank You Ma'am, Says Dan" - an old song recorded by Delia Murphy
  Delia Murphy
  Delia Murphy was a singer and collector of Irish ballads. Her notable voice gave her the nickname the "Queen of Connemara".-Early life:...
  
  .
• "We Dreamed our Dreams
  We Dreamed our Dreams
  We Dreamed our Dreams is a song written by Irish songwriter Dick Farrelly. Dick is best known for his song, "Isle of Innisfree" theme of the film, The Quiet Man...
  
  " - song of a love lost; Composer: Dick Farrelly.
• "When a Man's In Love" - by 19th-century Antrim
  County Antrim
  County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
  
   poet Hugh McWilliams, recorded by Seán Cannon
  Seán Cannon
  Séan Cannon is an Irish musician. Since 1982 he has been lead vocal and guitarist for the Dubliners.-Early life:Seán Cannon was born in Galway, Ireland. He travelled around Europe at an early age, rambling in England, Germany, Switzerland and Spain. It was during these trips that Cannon learned to...
  
  .

Places, emigration and travel

• "Annaghdown" - Recorded by Sinead Stone & Gerard Farrelly. Composed by Dick Farrelly.
• "Are Ye Right There Michael
  Are Ye Right There Michael
  Are Ye Right There Michael is a song by the 19th-century and early 20th-century Irish composer and musician Percy French, parodying the state of the West Clare Railway system in rural County Clare...
  
  " - comic 19th century song about a slow train on a West Clare Railway
  West Clare Railway
  The West Clare Railway originally operated in County Clare, Ireland between 1887 and 1961, and has partially re-opened. This gauge narrow gauge railway ran from the county town of Ennis, via numerous stopping-points along the West Clare coast to two termini, at Kilrush and Kilkee...
  
   that left the composer late for a concert (Composer: Percy French)
• "Ballymilligan" - by Percy French
• "The Auld Triangle
  The Auld Triangle
  "The Auld Triangle" is a song written by Dominic Behan for his brother Brendan Behan and is featured in Brendan's play The Quare Fellow. It is used to introduce the play, a story about the occurrences in a prison the day a convict is set to be executed...
  
  " - by writer Brendan Behan
  Brendan Behan
  Brendan Francis Behan was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. He was also an Irish republican and a volunteer in the Irish Republican Army.-Early life:...
  
  , about his time in Mountjoy Prison
  Mountjoy Prison
  Mountjoy Prison , founded as Mountjoy Gaol, nicknamed The Joy, is a medium security prison located in Phibsboro in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. It has the largest prison population in Ireland.The current prison governor is Mr...
  
  
• "The Bard Of Armagh
  The Bard of Armagh
  The Bard of Armagh is an Irish ballad. It is often attributed to Patrick Donnelly. He was made Bishop of Dromore in 1697, the same year as the enactment of the Bishops Banishment Act...
  
  " - written in the 17th century by Bishop Donnelly
• "Back Home in Derry - by Bobby Sands
  Bobby Sands
  Robert Gerard "Bobby" Sands was an Irish volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and member of the United Kingdom Parliament who died on hunger strike while imprisoned in HM Prison Maze....
  
  
• "Beautiful Bundoran" - performed by Sinéad O'Connor
  Sinéad O'Connor
  Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
  
   in the film The Butcher Boy
  The Butcher Boy (film)
  The Butcher Boy is an 1997 Irish tragicomic drama film adapted to film by Neil Jordan and Patrick McCabe from McCabe's 1992 novel of the same name....
  
  
• "Biddy Mulligan the Pride of the Coombe
  Biddy Mulligan the Pride of the Coombe
  Biddy Mulligan the Pride of the Coombe is a song written by Seamas Kavanagh in the 1930s, and made famous by the performances of the music-hall singer and comedian Jimmy O'Dea, who also took on the persona of the charismatic stall-holder.-History of the Song:The song-writer Seamus Kavanagh...
  
  " - about a Dublin woman, see also 'Daffodil Mulligan' about her daughter.
• "Bridget Donoghue" - written in the 19th century by Johnny Patterson
  Johnny Patterson
  John Francis Patterson was an Irish singer, song writer and circus entertainer.He was born in Kilbarron, Feakle, County Clare. Both his parents had died by the time he was three years old and so he was raised by an uncle in Ennis. At the age of 14 he enlisted in the 63rd Regiment of Foot which...
  
  
• "The Boys from the County Armagh" - written by Thomas P. Keenan
  Thomas P. Keenan
  Thomas Peter Keenan , from Castletownroche, County Cork, Ireland, is the composer of such songs as "The Boys From The County Armagh", "A Mother's Love's A Blessing" and "The Old Rustic Bridge by the Mill." His songs have been widely recorded, most recently by Louise Morrisey, Foster and Allen and...
  
  , made famous by Bridie Gallagher
  Bridie Gallagher
  Bridie Gallagher , is an Irish singer, affectionately known as The Girl from Donegal. She shot to fame in 1956 with her recording of A Mother's Love's A Blessing and achieved international acclaim with her legendary rendition of The Boys From County Armagh...
  
  
• "Carraigfergus
  Carrickfergus (song)
  "Carrickfergus" is an Irish folk song. The origins of the song are unclear, but it has been traced to an Irish language song, "Do bhí bean uasal" , which is attested to the poet Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna, who died in 1745 in County Clare.The song appears on a ballad sheet in Cork City in the mid...
  
  " - a translation of an Irish-language song from Munster, referring to Carrickfergus
  Carrickfergus
  Carrickfergus , known locally and colloquially as "Carrick", is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,201 at the 2001 Census and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th century king...
  
  
• "Cliffs of Dooneen
  Cliffs of Dooneen
  The "Cliffs of Dooneen" is an Irish ballad made famous by Planxty. It is often performed by Christy Moore. The song was written by Jack McAuliffe from Lixnaw, Kerry about the cliffs around Dooneen Point near Beale, North Kerry in the south west of Ireland....
  
   - popularized by Planxty
  Planxty
  Planxty is an Irish folk music band formed in the 1970s, consisting initially of Christy Moore , Dónal Lunny , Andy Irvine , and Liam O'Flynn...
  
  
• "Come Back Paddy Reilly to Ballyjamesduff" - by Percy French
• "Cottage by the Lee
  Cottage by the Lee
  Cottage by the Lee is a song written by Irish songwriter Dick Farrelly. It was composed in the early 1950s and is published by Waltons Music Publishing in Dublin, Ireland....
  
  " - words and music by Irish songwriter, Dick Farrelly.
• "The Creggan White Hare" - song set in Creggan, County Tyrone
  Creggan, County Tyrone
  Creggan is a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Popular places of tourist interest include the An Creagán centre, located three miles north of Carrickmore on the main Cookstown to Omagh road. Tourists are drawn to the old-fashioned cottages located near the An Creagán centre...
  
  , from a poem by John Graham, Roud Index no. 9633.
• "The Cruise of the Calabar" - by Arthur Griffith
  Arthur Griffith
  Arthur Griffith was the founder and third leader of Sinn Féin. He served as President of Dáil Éireann from January to August 1922, and was head of the Irish delegation at the negotiations in London that produced the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921.-Early life:...
  
  
• "The Curragh of Kildare
  The Curragh of Kildare
  "The Curragh of Kildare" is an Irish Folk Song. The traditional folk song is in twenty-one lines, normally accompanied by the Irish Guitar and the Fiddle. The Curragh of Kildare speaks of the actual Curragh, which is a plain in Kildare, Ireland, used to rally the Irish Army.The song was taken...
  
  " - song mentioning the Curragh
  Curragh
  The Curragh is a flat open plain of almost 5,000 acres of common land in County Kildare, Ireland, between Newbridge and Kildare. This area is well-known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the famous Japanese Gardens. Also...
  
  .
• "Days in Old Donegal"
• "Down by the Liffeyside (Fish and Chips)" - written by Peadar Kearney
  Peadar Kearney
  Peadar Kearney was an Irish republican and composer of numerous rebel songs. In 1907 he wrote the lyrics to "The Soldier's Song" , now the Irish national anthem.-Background:...
  
  
• "Dublin City in 1962" - written by musician and footballer Dermot O'Brien
  Dermot O'Brien
  Dermot O'Brien was an Irish sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club St. Mary's and was a member of the Louth senior inter-county team from the 1950s until the 1960s. O'Brien captained Louth to the All-Ireland title in 1957. O'Brien was also a renowned musician and singer and...
  
  
• "Dublin in my Tears" - written by Dubliner Brendan Phelan
  Brendan Phelan
  Brendan Phelan is an Irish songwriter from Dublin. His best-known song is probably "Dublin in My Tears", recorded by the Barleycorn, The Fureys, Patsy Watchorn, the Dublin City Ramblers, Mick Galvin, the Jolly Beggarmen and others....
  
   and recorded by the Dublin City Ramblers
  Dublin City Ramblers
  -History:The Dublin City Ramblers began life in the mid 60's as the Jolly Tinkers, but due to the existence of ballad groups with same name, they decided to change their name to the Quare Fellas. At this time the line up consisted of Patsy Watchorn, brothers Sean and Matt McGuiness and Pat Cummins...
  
  
• "Dublin in the Rare Old Times
  Dublin in the Rare Old Times
  "The Rare Ould Times" is a song composed by Pete St. John in the 1970s for the Dublin City Ramblers. The song tells of the changes that have occurred in Dublin since the 1960s. The song is sung by fans of Dublin GAA teams. The song is often just called "The Rare Old Times" or alternatively "The...
  
  " - 1980s song about Dublin before the 1960s (composer: Pete St. John
  Pete St. John
  Pete St. John is an Irish folk singer-songwriter, most notable for composing Fields of Athenry.St. John is a prolific composer of widely sung modern ballads; his other most famous song is "The Rare Ould Times"...
  
  )
• "The Emigrant's Letter" - written by Percy French
• "Erin Go Bragh" - about an emigrant Irishman's experience in Scotland, recorded by Dick Gaughan
  Dick Gaughan
  Richard Peter Gaughan usually known as Dick Gaughan is a Scottish musician, singer, and songwriter, particularly of folk and social protest songs.-Early years:...
  
  
• "Fairytale of New York
  Fairytale of New York
  "Fairytale of New York" is a song by the Irish rock group The Pogues, released in 1987 and featuring the British singer Kirsty MacColl. The song is an Irish folk style ballad, written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan, and featured on The Pogues' album If I Should Fall from Grace with God...
  
  " - about emigration (1988 song by The Pogues
  The Pogues
  The Pogues are a Celtic punk band, formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems but the band continued first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals before...
  
   and Kirsty MacColl
  Kirsty MacColl
  Kirsty Anna MacColl was an English singer-songwriter.MacColl scored several pop hits from the early 1980s to the early 1990s...
  
  . Composer: Shane MacGowan
  Shane MacGowan
  Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan is an Irish musician and singer, best known as the original singer and songwriter of The Pogues.-History:...
  
  )
• Fare Thee Well, Enniskillen (The Enniskillen Dragoons) - about the regiment from Enniskillen
  Enniskillen
  Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...
  
  
• "From Clare to Here
  From Clare to Here
  "From Clare to Here" is an Irish folk ballad about emigration written by Ralph McTell. It has also been recorded by The Furey Brothers & Davey Arthur on the 1977 album Emigrant; by Nanci Griffith and Pete Cummins on the 1993 album Other Voices, Other Rooms; and as a b-side by Duke Special on the...
  
  " - about emigration, by Ralph McTell
  Ralph McTell
  Ralph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....
  
  
• "The Flight of Earls" - song about the Irish diaspora
  Irish diaspora
  thumb|Night Train with Reaper by London Irish artist [[Brian Whelan]] from the book Myth of Return, 2007The Irish diaspora consists of Irish emigrants and their descendants in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa,...
  
   leaving in the 1950s and 60's to search for work.
• "Galway Bay
  Galway Bay (song)
  "Galway Bay" is the name of two different songs.The first Galway Bay is traditionally more popular and known in the Galway Bay area. The second song is more popular outside of Ireland.- First song: Galway Bay. :...
  
  " - the name of two songs, one written by Frank Fahey of Kinvara
  Kinvara
  Kinvara is a sea port village located in the south of County Galway in the province of Connacht on the west coast of Ireland. Kinvara is also the name of the parish in which the village is situated. Kinvara is occasionally spelled Kinvarra in English; this may be seen on some maps and road signs,...
  
  , and one written by Dr. Arthur Colahan and popularised by Bing Crosby
  Bing Crosby
  Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
  
  .
• "Goodbye Mick (Leaving Tipperary)" - written by P.J. Murrihy and recorded by Ryan's Fancy
  Ryan's Fancy
  Ryan’s Fancy was a musical group active from the 1960s until the 1980s, all three of whose members were Irish immigrants to Canada.-Early years:...
  
  
• "Gortnamona" - by Percy French (his favourite song)
• "Green Fields of Gaoth Dobhair" - recorded by Clannad
  Clannad
  Clannad are an Irish musical group, from Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal. Their music has been variously described as bordering on folk and folk rock, Irish, Celtic and New Age, often incorporating elements of an even broader spectrum of smooth jazz and Gregorian chant...
  
   in 1982
• "Green Glens of Antrim"
• "Heart of Donegal"
• "Heaven Around Galway Bay"
• "The Homes of Donegal
  The Homes of Donegal
  "The Homes of Donegal" is an Irish ballad written by songwriter Seán McBride in 1955. It has been performed by many singers, most famously by Paul Brady....
  
  " - written by Seán McBride in 1955, made popular by Paul Brady
  Paul Brady
  Paul Joseph Brady is an Irish singer-songwriter, whose work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age...
  
  
• "Innishmeela" - by Percy French
• "Ireland's Call
  Ireland's Call
  Ireland's Call is a song commissioned by the Irish Rugby Football Union for use at international Rugby Union fixtures.It has since also been adopted by the Irish Hockey, Cricket, Rugby League and A1GP teams.- Overview :...
  
  " - official anthem for the Ireland national rugby union team
  Ireland national rugby union team
  The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
  
  , written by Phil Coulter
  Phil Coulter
  Phil Coulter is an artist with an international reputation as a successful songwriter, pianist, music producer, arranger and director. His success has spanned four decades and he is one of the biggest record sellers in Ireland...
  
  
• "Isle of Innisfree
  Isle of Innisfree
  The Isle of Innisfree is a song composed by Dick Farrelly , born Richard Farrelly, who wrote both the music and lyrics. Dick got the inspiration for "Isle of Innisfree", the song for which he is best remembered, while on a bus journey from his native Kells, County Meath to Dublin...
  
  " - composed by Irish songwriter Dick Farrelly, the main theme of the film The Quiet Man
  The Quiet Man
  The Quiet Man is a 1952 American Technicolor romantic comedy-drama film. It was directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen and Barry Fitzgerald. It was based on a 1933 Saturday Evening Post short story by Maurice Walsh...
  
  .
• "Limerick Is Beautiful"
• "Lovely Inishowen"
• "Lovely Derry on the Banks of the Foyle"
• "Lovely Green Gweedore"
• "Miles of Eyes
  Miles of Eyes
  Miles of Eyes is the debut single released by Irish singer/songwriter Jimmy MacCarthy in 1981 under Mulligan Records.-Summary:This song was Jimmy's first hit before recording hits for many other popular Irish artists such as Christy Moore, Mary Black and Maura O' Connell in the years that followed....
  
   - written by songwriter Jimmy MacCarthy and released as a single in 1981
• "Moonlight in Mayo"
• "Mountains of Pomeroy" - written by George Sigerson
  George Sigerson
  George Sigerson was an Irish physician, scientist, writer, politician and poet. He was a leading light in the Irish Literary Revival of the late 19th century in Ireland.-Doctor and Scientist:...
  
  .
• "Mursheen Durkin
  Mursheen Durkin
  To the alehouse and the playhouse and many's the house besides,But I told me brother Seamus I'd go off and go right famousAnd before I'd return again I'd roam the whole world wide.ChorusSo goodbye, Muirsheen Durkin, I'm sick and tired of working,...
  
  " - a traditional song collected by Colm Ó Lochlainn
• "Slievenamon" - one of the best-known Tipperary
  County Tipperary
  County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
  
   songs, written by Charles Kickham
  Charles Kickham
  Charles Joseph Kickham was an Irish revolutionary, novelist, poet, journalist and one of the most prominent members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood.-Early life:...
  
  
• "The Mountains of Mourne
  The Mountains of Mourne
  The lyrics to the song "The Mountains of Mourne" were written by Irish musician Percy French. It is normally sung to the traditional Irish folk tune Carrigdonn or Carrigdhoun as it is sometimes spelt. This was the same tune used by Thomas Moore for his song "Bendemeer's Stream".The song is...
  
  " - about Irish emigrants in London (Composer: Percy French)
• "My Donegal Shore
  Two Sides Of
  Two Sides Of is the second studio album released by Irish singer Daniel O'Donnell in 1985. It was with the release of this album that O'Donnell rose to prominence in Ireland, and led the way for him to be recognised in the UK...
  
  " - by Daniel O'Donnell
  Daniel O'Donnell
  Daniel or Danny O'Donnell may refer to:* Daniel O'Donnell, Irish singer* Daniel O'Donnell , American legislator from the state of New York* Danny O'Donnell * Danny O'Donnell...
  
  , believed to have kick started his career.
• "My Dublin Bay" - composed by May O'Higgins.
• "Thank God for America" - by the Wolfe Tones, a song about Irish emigration to North America.
• "The Banks of My Own Lovely Lee" - the Cork anthem
• "The Road to Ballybay" - by Percy French
• "Road to Creeslough"
• "The Road to Mallinmore"
• "The Rocky Road to Dublin" - a rollicking song written by Galwayman D. K. Gavan for music-hall artist Harry Clifton around 1863
• "The Shamrock Shore" - several songs by this name, Roud Index no. 1419.
• "The Shores of Amerikay
  The Shores of Amerikay
  "The Shores of Amerikay", also known as "The Shores of America", is a traditional Irish song. The song's narrator is emigrating from Ireland to America, and the song is both a meditation on this and a statement of purpose....
  
  " - about leaving Ireland for America
• "The Shores of Botany Bay
  The Shores of Botany Bay
  "The Shores of Botany Bay", also known as "Botany Bay", is a traditional Irish song. The song's narrator is a bricklayer who emigrates from Ireland to Australia after being fired from his job on a ship.-Recordings:...
  
  " - about leaving Ireland for Australia
• "Song for Ireland" - anthemic song by Englishman Phil MacCullough
• "Spancill Hill
  Spancill Hill
  "Spancil Hill" is a song written in a traditional Irish folk style by Michael Considine. It bemoans the plight of the Irish immigrants who so longed for home from their new lives in America, many of whom went to California with the Gold Rush. This song is sung by a man who longs for his home in...
  
  " - an emigrant's dream of returning home to his native Clare
• "The Spanish Lady" - a Dublin song, but can also refer to Galway and Belfast
• "The Stone Outside Dan Murphy's Door" - written in the 19th century by Johnny Patterson
• "The Tumble Down Shack in Athlone" - one of several "Irish" songs written by Monte Carlo
  Monte Carlo (composer)
  Hans von Holstein, better known as Monte Carlo , was a Danish-born Broadway composer and author.-Life:Von Holstein was born in Skamlingsbanke, Gravenstein, Denmark, on 14 July 1883....
  
   and recorded by John McCormack
• "Lock Hospital" (also known as "St. James Hospital" and "The Unfortunate Rake"), Irish version of a song also found in Britain and the USA (where it developed into "The Dying Cowboy" and "St. James Infirmary)"
• "Where the River Shannon Flows"
• "The Zoological Gardens" - by Dominic Behan
• "The Banks of Sweet Viledee", sung by Frank Browne. An Irish version of The Daemon Lover
  The Daemon Lover
  "The Daemon Lover", also known as "James Harris", "James Herries", or "The House Carpenter" is a popular English ballad. It tells the story of a man , who returns to a former lover after a very long absence, and finds her with a husband and a baby...
  
   (Child #243)

Songs of the Travelling People

• "The Blue Tar Road" - song by Liam Weldon
  Liam Weldon
  Liam Weldon was a singer and songwriter in the Irish folk tradition.-Life:Born in Dublin, Ireland, Liam, like many people in inner city Dublin at that time, was moved out of the developing city to Ballyfermot, a suburb on the outskirts of the city.Liam had a lifelong interest in the songs of the...
  
  
• "Danny Farrell
  Danny Farrell
  Danny Farrell is a song recorded by The Dubliners. Sung by Ronnie Drew in a gruff monotone it tells the story of an educationally challenged Irish male whose life goes from bad to worse...
  
  " - by Pete St John
• "I'm a Rover Seldom Sober" - Irish version of "The Grey Cock" or "The Night Visit" (Child #248)
• "Last of the Travelling People" - song by the Pecker Dunne
  Pecker Dunne
  Patrick "Pecker" Dunne is an Irish musician. He was born in his parents' horse-drawn caravan.His family were Irish Travellers originally from County Wexford, where his father was a fiddle player...
  
  
• "Man of the Road" - Recorded by The Cafe Orchestra featuring singer Sinead Stone. Composed by Dick Farrelly.
• "The Tinker's Lullaby" - song by the Pecker Dunne
• "The Little Beggarman" - sung to the melody of the "Red-Haired Boy"
• "Sullivan's John" - written by the Pecker Dunne.

Sport, Play and Fighting

• "Bold Thady Quill" - a Cork song written about 1895 by Johnny Tom Gleeson
  Johnny Tom Gleeson
  Johnny Tom Gleeson was an Irish poet and songwriter. He wrote the ballad "The Bould Thady Quill" , a spoof on a non-athlete, and two other noted poems: “The Battle Ship Sinn Féin” , his only patriotic piece, and “The Wild Bar-A-Boo” , spoofing the noted Muskerry fox chase that originated in...
  
   (1853–1924)
• "The Bold Christy Ring" - song about Cork hurler Christy Ring
  Christy Ring
  Nicholas Christopher Michael Ring , better known as Christy Ring, was a famous Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with the Glen Rovers club from 1941 until 1967 and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1939 until 1963. Ring is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in...
  
   to the tune of Bold Thady Quill
• "The Contender" - about 1930s Irish boxer Jack Doyle
  Jack Doyle
  Jack Doyle , known as "The Gorgeous Gael" was at one time or another a contender for the British Boxing Championship, a Hollywood actor and an accomplished tenor.-Early years:...
  
  
• "Donnelly and Cooper
  Donnelly and Cooper
  "Donnelly and Cooper" is an Irish ballad recounting a historic bare-knuckle boxing match between Dan Donnelly and George Cooper.-Description:...
  
  " - about a bare-knuckle boxing match at the Curragh of Kildare
  Curragh
  The Curragh is a flat open plain of almost 5,000 acres of common land in County Kildare, Ireland, between Newbridge and Kildare. This area is well-known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the famous Japanese Gardens. Also...
  
   in 1815.
• "Donnelly and Oliver" - Irish bare-knuckle boxer Dan Donnelly
  Dan Donnelly (boxer)
  Dan Donnelly was a professional boxing pioneer and the first Irish-born heavyweight champion. He was posthumously inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Pioneers Category in 2008.-Champion of the needy:...
  
   in 1819.
• "The Fight on the Hill"
• "The Galway Races
  The Galway Races (song)
  "The Galway Races" is a traditional Irish song. The song's narrator is attending the eponymous annual event in Galway, a city in the west of Ireland.-Recordings:"The Galway Races" has been recorded by a variety of artists, including:...
  
  "
• "Morrissey and the Russian Sailor" - about a bare-knuckle boxing match
• "Nicky Rackard (song)" - biographic song about Nicky Rackard
  Nicky Rackard
  Nicholas Rackard better known as Nicky or Nickey Rackard, was a famous Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local Rathnure club and was a member of the Wexford senior inter-county team from 1940 until 1956...
  
   the famous Wexford hurler
• "Nicky Rackard 'The Golden Sun' - another biographic song about Nicky Rackard
  Nicky Rackard
  Nicholas Rackard better known as Nicky or Nickey Rackard, was a famous Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local Rathnure club and was a member of the Wexford senior inter-county team from 1940 until 1956...
  
  
• "A Song For Christy Ring" - another song about Cork hurler Christy Ring
  Christy Ring
  Nicholas Christopher Michael Ring , better known as Christy Ring, was a famous Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with the Glen Rovers club from 1941 until 1967 and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1939 until 1963. Ring is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in...
  
   by Brian McNamara to the air of "Dear Old Skibbereen
  Skibbereen (song)
  Skibbereen, also known as Dear Old Skibbereen, is an Irish folk song, in the form of a dialogue wherein a father tells his son about the Irish famine, being evicted from their home, and the need to flee as a result of the Young Ireland rebellion of 1848.-History:The first known publication of the...
  
  "

Humorous Songs

• "Arkle" - by Dominic Behan, about the race-horse, Arkle
  Arkle
  Arkle was a famous Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. A bay gelding by Archive out of Bright Cherry, his grandsire was the unbeaten flat racehorse and prepotent sire Nearco. Arkle was bred at Ballymacoll Stud, County Meath by Mrs. Mary Alison Baker of Malahow House, near Naul, County Dublin...
  
  
• "An Poc Ar Buile" - Irish-language song about a rebellious billy-goat, made popular by Seán Ó Sé and Kevin Conneff
  Kevin Conneff
  Kevin Conneff is more familiarly known as the voice and rhythmic heartbeat of the legendary Irish folk group, The Chieftains, through his talents as vocalist and bodhrán player. He joined the group in 1976, replacing Peadar Mercier who had been the second bodhrán player for the group...
  
  .
• "The Boys of Fairhill" - popular Cork song, original version by Con Doyle, recorded by Jimmy Crowley.
• "Delaney's Donkey" - recorded by Val Doonican
• "The Finding of Moses" - written by Zozimus
  Zozimus
  Michael J. Moran , popularly known as Zozimus, was an Irish street rhymer. He was a resident of Dublin and also known as the "Blind Bard of the Liberties" and the "Last of the Gleemen".-Biography:...
  
   (Michael Moran, 1794–1846), recorded by The Dubliners
  The Dubliners
  The Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962.-Formation and history:The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin...
  
  
• "General Guinness" - a song about the stout
  Stout
  Stout is a dark beer made using roasted malt or barley, hops, water and yeast. Stouts were traditionally the generic term for the strongest or stoutest porters, typically 7% or 8%, produced by a brewery....
  
   from Dublin, recorded by The Boys of the Lough
  The Boys of the Lough
  -The early years:Their first album, called Boys of the Lough consisted of Aly Bain , Cathal Mc'Connell , Dick Gaughan and Robin Morton ....
  
  .
• "In the Town of Ballybay" - a "nonsense" song by Tommy Makem.
• "The Irish Rover
  The Irish Rover
  "The Irish Rover" is a traditional Irish song about a magnificent, though improbable, sailing ship that reaches an unfortunate end. It has been recorded by numerous artists, some of whom have made changes to the lyrics....
  
  " - song about a seafaring disaster on a vessel sailing from Ireland to the new Americas
• "Johnny Daddlum" - Irish version of the song known in the Roud Index as the "Crabfish".
• "Master McGrath" - about the famous greyhound, Master McGrath
  Master McGrath
  Master McGrath was a famous greyhound in the sport of hare coursing.-Early days:Master McGrath was born in County Waterford, Ireland. A small, weak pup, he went on to become the most celebrated and successful dog of his time. Master McGrath was born in 1866 at Colligan Lodge, the home of James...
  
  
• "Monto (Take Her Up To Monto)
  Monto (Take Her Up To Monto)
  Monto is an Irish folk song, written by George Desmond Hodnett, music critic of the Irish Times, and popularised by the Dubliners.-Lyrics:Well, if you've got a wing-o, Take her up to Ring-o...
  
  " - a song by George Hodnett
  George Desmond Hodnett
  George Desmond "Hoddy" Hodnett was an Irish musician, song-writer and long-time jazz and popular music critic for the Irish Times.-Life:...
  
   about the famous red-light district around Montgomery Street in Dublin.
• "Nell Flaherty's Drake" - written (in Irish
  Irish language
  Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
  
  ) by Eoghan Rua Ó Súilleabháin (1748–1782), a translation of which by Frank O'Connor
  Frank O'Connor
  Frank O’Connor was an Irish author of over 150 works, best known for his short stories and memoirs.-Early life:...
  
   appeared in A Broadside, 1935. In Cork called "Ned Flaherty's Drake".
• "The Night the Goat Broke Loose on Grand Parade" - a Cork song from the 1930s, recorded by Dick Hogan (on Wonders of the World).
• "O'Rafferty's Motor Car" - recorded by Val Doonican
• "Paddy McGinty's Goat" - recorded by Val Doonican
  Val Doonican
  Val Doonican is an Irish singer. From 1965 to 1986 he was a regular fixture on the BBC Television's schedule with The Val Doonican Show, which featured his own singing performances and a variety of guest artists...
  
  
• "The Peeler and the Goat" - an old song recorded by Delia Murphy.
• "Rafferty's Racin' Mare" - written by Percy French.
• "A Sailor Courted a Farmer's Daughter" - found mainly in Northern Ireland, a version of a song also called The Constant Lovers (Roud 993, Laws O41). A parody was written by Percy French and recorded by Dominic Behan.
• "Shake Hands with Your Uncle Dan" - written in the 19th century by Johnny Patterson
  Johnny Patterson
  John Francis Patterson was an Irish singer, song writer and circus entertainer.He was born in Kilbarron, Feakle, County Clare. Both his parents had died by the time he was three years old and so he was raised by an uncle in Ennis. At the age of 14 he enlisted in the 63rd Regiment of Foot which...
  
  
• "Slattery's Mounted Foot
  Slattery's Mounted Foot
  The lyrics to the song "Slattery's Mounted Foot" were written in 1889 by the 19th Century Irish musician Percy French. The song is representative of French's comic works...
  
  " - written by Percy French.

Murder Ballads

• "Miss Brown" - a murder ballad from Dublin
• "Henry My Son" - the Irish version of "Lord Randall
  Lord Randall
  "Lord Randall", or "Lord Randal", is an Anglo-Scottish border ballad, a traditional ballad consisting of dialogue. The different versions follow the same general lines: the primary character is poisoned, usually by his sweetheart; this is revealed through a conversation where he reports on the...
  
  " (Child ballad #12), also a children's song
• "Weila Waile" - the Irish version of "The Cruel Mother
  The Cruel Mother
  "The Cruel Mother" is a murder ballad.-Synopsis:A woman gives birth to one or two illegitimate children in the woods, kills them, and buries them. On her return trip home, she sees a child, or children, playing, and says that if they were hers, she would dress them in various fine garments and...
  
  " (Child ballad #20)
• "The Woman From Wexford" - the Irish version of "Eggs and Marrowbone
  Eggs and Marrowbone
  "Eggs and Marrowbone" is a traditional folk song from the British Isles.A version of the lyrics from the Appalachians is:...
  
  "
• "What Put the Blood" (also known as "What Brought the Blood?") - the Irish version of "Edward
  Edward (ballad)
  Edward is a traditional murder ballad existing in several variants. In English its versions were collected by Francis James Child as Child ballad number 13.-Synopsis:...
  
  " (Child ballad #13), popularised by Al O'Donnell
• "The Well Below the Valley" - the Irish version of "The Maid and the Palmer
  The Maid and the Palmer
  "The Maid and the Palmer" or "The Well Below The Valley" is Child ballad 21 and a murder ballad. Because of its dark and sinister lyrics , the song was often avoided by folk singers. It is claimed that Tom Munnelly was largely responsible for preserving the song...
  
  " (Child ballad #21), recorded by Planxty
• "The Maid From Cabra West" - an Irish version of an English song, sung by Frank Harte
  Frank Harte
  Frank Harte was a traditional Irish singer, song collector, architect and lecturer. He was born and raised in Dublin. His father Peter Harte who had moved from a farming background in Sligo owned 'The Tap' pub in Chapelizod...
  
  
• "The Colleen Bawn", based on a true story of a girl murdered in 1819, dealt with in a play by Dion Boucicault
  Dion Boucicault
  Dionysius Lardner Boursiquot , commonly known as Dion Boucicault, was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the most successful actor-playwright-managers then in the...
  
  
• "The Twangman" - written by Zozimus
  Zozimus
  Michael J. Moran , popularly known as Zozimus, was an Irish street rhymer. He was a resident of Dublin and also known as the "Blind Bard of the Liberties" and the "Last of the Gleemen".-Biography:...
  
   (Michael Moran, 1794–1846)

Drinking

• "Dicey Riley" - Dublin song about a woman who enjoys her little drop, with verses by Dominic Behan and Tom Munnelly
  Tom Munnelly
  -Early years:Tom Munnelly was born in Rathmines in Dublin, and went to Clogher Road technical college. He took up factory work at the age of 15. At a scout camp he became intetersted in folk songs. To enlarge his own repertoire he acquired a tape recorder. In 1965 Munnelly met an Irish Traveller...
  
  
• "The Moonshiner
  The Moonshiner
  The Moonshiner is a folk song with disputed origins. It is believed that the song originated in America, then later was made famous in Ireland. Others believe that it was the other way around. The Clancy Brothers stated on their recording that the song is of Irish origin, but again, this is...
  
  " - a traditional song made popular by Delia Murphy
  Delia Murphy
  Delia Murphy was a singer and collector of Irish ballads. Her notable voice gave her the nickname the "Queen of Connemara".-Early life:...
  
  
• "The Parting Glass" - a farewell song
• "The Rare Auld Mountain Dew" - drinking song dedicated to poitin
  Poitín
  Poitín , anglicised as poteen, is a traditional Irish distilled, highly alcoholic beverage . Poitín was traditionally distilled in a small pot still and the term is a diminutive of the Irish word pota, meaning "pot"...
  
   (illegally distilled whiskey) by Edward Harrigan and Dave Braham, 1882
• "Seven Drunken Nights
  Seven Drunken Nights
  "Seven Drunken Nights" is a humorous folk Irish song, most famously performed by The Dubliners and others. The Dubliners version reached number 7 in the UK charts in 1967, thanks to its diffusion on Radio Caroline, though it was banned from the national broadcasting station...
  
  " - an Irish version of Our Goodman
  Our Goodman
  -Synopsis:A man returns home to find evidence that his wife has a lover there: a horse, a sword, a wig, etc, up to finding the lover. His wife makes absurd claims: the horse is a sow, the sword is a porridge-spurtle, the wig is a clocken-hen, the lover is a milk-maid...
  
  
• "Whiskey in the Jar
  Whiskey in the Jar
  "Whiskey in the Jar" is a famous Irish traditional song, set in the southern mountains of Ireland, with specific mention of counties Cork and Kerry, as well as Fenit, a village in county Kerry. It is about a Rapparee , who is betrayed by his wife or lover, and is one of the most widely performed...
  
  "
• "Whiskey You're The Devil
• "The Wild Rover
  The Wild Rover
  The Wild Rover is a popular folk song whose origins are contested.According to Professor T. M. Devine in his book The Scottish Nation 1700 - 2000 the song was written as a temperance song. The song is found printed in a book, The American Songster, printed in the USA by W.A...
  
  "
• "The Juice of the Barley
  The Juice of the Barley
  "The Juice of the Barley" is a traditional Irish drinking song from around the mid-19th century. The Clancy Brothers, as well as several other bands have made recordings, and popular dance renditions of the song....
  
  "
• "The Jug of Punch" - collected by Sam Henry
  Sam Henry (musicologist)
  Sam Henry was an Irish folk-song collector, photographer and folklorest, best known for his collection of ballads and songs in Songs of the People...
  
   and others
• "Keg of Brandy" - by Robbie O'Connell

Hedge Schoolmaster Songs

• "The Boys of Mullaghbawn"
• "Cloghamon Mill"
• "The Colleen Rue" - translated from an Irish-language song "An Cailín Rua" (the red-haired girl)
• "The Cottage Maid"
• "The Cuckoo's Nest" - by John Sheils
• "The Curracloe Boat Crew" - a song from Wexford
• "Easter Snow" - an aisling
  Aisling
  The aisling , or vision poem, is a poetic genre that developed during the late 17th and 18th centuries in Irish language poetry...
  
   set in a town in Roscommon
• "Flower of Gortade"
• "The Limerick Rake" - a popular song, from a broadside
• "Lough Erne Shore"
• "Old Arboe" - a song in praise of a spot near Lough Neagh in Co Tyrone"
• "Sheila Nee Iyer" - parody of an isling]

Get-togethers

• "Báidín Fheilimí
  Báidín Fheilimí
  "Báidín Fheilimí" or sometimes "Báidín Fheidhlimidh" is a traditional Irish song which originates from the Gaeltacht region in the north-west of County Donegal, which is usually taught to young children...
  
  " - a children's song from County Donegal
  County Donegal
  County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
  
  
• "The Charladies' Ball
  The Charladies' Ball
  "The Charladies' Ball" is an Irish folk song written by Harry O'Donovan and popularised by his collaborator, music-hall singer and comedian Jimmy O'Dea...
  
  " - a comical Dublin song written by Harry O'Donovan
  Harry O'Donovan
  Harry O'Donovan was an Irish comedy scriptwriter, stage manager and actor.-Life:He was born in Dublin, Ireland and was apprenticed to a painter. In his spare time, he took part in amateur dramatics, finally joining a troupe of actors and touring Ireland for several years...
  
  
• "Lannigan's Ball" - written by Galwayman D. K. Gavan for music-hall artist Harry Clifton around 1863
• "Johnny MacAldoo"
• "The Night Before Larry Was Stretched
  The Night Before Larry Was Stretched
  "The Night Before Larry Was Stretched" is an Irish execution ballad written in the Newgate cant.-History:The song is in The Festival of Anacreon, with tune direction "To the hundreds of Drury I write." It is also listed in Colm O'Lochlainn's Dublin Street Ballads and Frank Harte's Songs of...
  
  " - the night before a hanging, in old Dublin dialect
• "Phil the Fluther's Ball" - composed by Percy French
• "The Ragman's Ball"
• "The Ragman's Wake"
• "Tim Finigan's Wake" - also known as "Finnegan's Wake" - mid 19th-century broadside and music-hall song published in New York, attributed to John F. Poole, to an air called "The French Musician"
• "The Tipperary Christening"
• "Waxies' Dargle
  Waxies' Dargle
  "The Waxies' Dargle" is a traditional Irish folk song about two Dublin "aul' wans" discussing how to find money to go on an excursion. It is named after an annual outing to Ringsend, near Dublin city, by Dublin cobblers...
  
  " - about the annual outing to Ringsend
  Ringsend
  Ringsend is a southside inner suburb of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. It is located on the south bank of the River Liffey, about two kilometres east of the city centre, and is the southern terminus of the East Link Toll Bridge....
  
  by Dublin cobblers (waxies)