"Amhrán na bhFiann" (Irish pronunciation:[ˈəuɾˠaːn̪ˠn̪ˠəˈvʲiən̪ˠ]), or inEnglish, "The Soldier's Song", is thenational anthem ofIreland. The music was composed byPeadar Kearney andPatrick Heeney, the original English lyrics written by Kearney, and the Irish-language translation, now usually the version heard, byLiam Ó Rinn. The song has three verses, but only the choral refrain is used as the national anthem.
ThePresidential Salute, played when thePresident of Ireland arrives at an official engagement, consists of the first four bars of the national anthem immediately followed by the last five.[1]
The song was originally written in English as "A Soldier's Song". It was composed "early in 1910 or late in 1909",[n 1] with words byPeadar Kearney, and music by his childhood friend and neighbourPatrick Heeney, who had collaborated on songs since 1903.[4] Kearney assisted Heeney in setting the refrain.[5][6][7] Heeney composed it with hismelodeon.[8] Seán Rogan, later of theIrish Citizen Army, may also have helped with the music, and first wrote it in musical notation.[6] Kearney wrote much of the text in the Swiss Café at the corner ofO'Connell Street andNorth Earl Street.[2] The first draft of the text, handwritten on copybook paper, sold at auction in Dublin in 2006 for €760,000.[9] After being rejected byThe United Irishman,Bulmer Hobson's magazineIrish Freedom published the text in 1912.[5][10] Whelan and Son of Ormond Quay, Dublin, published the lyrics for sale as a flysheet.[6][11] It was used as a marching song by theIrish Volunteers andSeamus Hughes first sang it in public at a Volunteer fundraising concert.[12] It was sung by rebels in theGeneral Post Office (GPO) during theEaster Rising of 1916.[5] Its popularity increased among rebels held inFrongoch internment camp after the Rising.[5][13]
The sheet music was first published in late 1916 by Whelan and Son, in an arrangement by Cathal Mac Dubhghaill (Cecil Grange MacDowell).[6][14][15] In December 1916 in New York City,Victor Herbert published his own piano and orchestral arrangements under the title "Soldiers of Erin, the Rallying Song of the Irish Volunteers", on the instigation of R. F. O'Reilly, an Irish priest.[16][6][17][18][19] O'Reilly arranged for proceeds to go to theGaelic League, but paid royalties to Kearney and Heeney once he discovered they were the authors.[16][6][19] With later cheques from the US, Kearney earned "not much more than £100".[16] The song's first commercial recording was made in New York City in early 1917 by George Potter and commissioned by Ellen Byrne De Witt, a prominent Irish-American businesswoman.[20]Margaret Skinnider, in her 1917 memoir of the rising, called it the "Volunteer Marching Song" and (incorrectly) said "I have been told the men inthe rising of '67 also sang it."[21]
The Irish national anthem played on RTÉ during the 1960s
The Free State did not initially adopt any official state anthem.[5] The delicate political state in the aftermath of the Civil War provoked a desire to avoid controversy.[27] Ex-unionists continued to regard "God Save the King" as the national anthem,[5] as it had been for the rest of theBritish Empire. For nationalists, the fact that "The Soldier's Song" described Irishmen fighting a foreign foe allowed it to overlook the painful memory of the Civil War.[26]W. T. Cosgrave, 1922–32President of theExecutive Council, avoided explicitly making it the national anthem for fear of exacerbating the antipathy for the Free State held by unionists inNorthern Ireland.[28] On the other hand, the government did not want to disassociate the state from the anthem for fear of leaving a potent symbol available for its republican opponents to claim.[29] The same equivocation hung around the status of theIrish tricolour.
"The Soldier's Song" was widely, if unofficially, sung by nationalists.[30] Public perception that it was officially recognised sprang from a concert on 3 February 1924 at theTheatre Royal, Dublin by theArmy Music School under its German-born director, ColonelFritz Brase. As an encore to the concert, Brasé conducted "Irish March, no.1", hismedley of Irish patriotic airs, which ended with that of "The Soldier's Song". Most dignitaries present stood up at this point, includingGovernor-GeneralTim Healy, Cosgrave and most of the Executive Council, althoughRichard Mulcahy remained seated.[26] On 28 April 1924, Cosgrave expressed opposition to replacing "The Soldier's Song", which was provisionally used within the State.[27]Sean Lester, publicist at theDepartment of External Affairs considered "The Soldier's Song" to be "hardly suitable in words or music"[30] and favoured the music, though not the words, of "Let Erin Remember".[30] This was used as the anthem forthe state at the 1924 Olympics in Paris,[5][n 2] and other events abroad for the next two years.[30] TheDublin Evening Mail held contests in 1924 and 1925 to find verses for a new anthem; the first produced no sufficiently good entry, and the second's winning entry was soon forgotten.[5]
There was concern that the lack of an official anthem was giving unionists an opportunity to persist with "God Save the King".[30] Ewan Morris writes, "While some, perhaps many, nationalists undoubtedly disliked 'The soldier's song', few would have objected so strongly as to refuse to honour it as the national anthem. But for ex-unionists 'The soldier's song' remained anathema, and 'God save the king' continued to be the national anthem they honoured."[32] By 1926 foreign diplomats' protocol offices were requesting copies of the anthem's score.[33] On 12 July 1926, the Executive Council decided to adopt it as the National Anthem,[30] with Cosgrave the driving force in the decision.[30] He wrote to Lester, "there must be uniformity in regard to the national anthem and that for the present the 'Soldier's song' is to be used for this purpose both at home and abroad".[33] The decision was not publicised.[5][34] On 20 July 1926,Osmond Esmonde asked President Cosgrave what the National Anthem was, but theCeann ComhairleMichael Hayes ruled 'If the Deputy desires to investigate any problem in regard to the National Anthem, he cannot ask a question of the President. The President cannot be asked to define what is the National Anthem. It is not part of his functions.'[35] Esmonde instead askedMinister for DefencePeter Hughes what 'as far asthe Army is concerned' was the National Anthem.[35] The draft response provided for Hughes stated that 'while no final decision has been come to', "The Soldier's Song" was 'at present accepted as the National Anthem',[36][37] However, this wording was vetoed by Cosgrave, and in the Dáil chamber Hughes responded simply 'The "Soldier's Song."'[5][37][35]
In 1928, the Army band established the practice of playing only the chorus of the song as the Anthem, because the longer version was discouraging audiences from singing along.[27] Also in 1928, Chief JusticeHugh Kennedy, returning from an official trip to North America, reported that an official arrangement of the music was "very badly needed" for circulation abroad.[27] This was produced in July 1929 by Fritz Brase.[5] This consisted only of the chorus, and was published under the title "The Soldier's Song" rather than "A Soldier's Song",[5] although variants such asthe "Soldiers' Song" continued to occur in later official documentation.[38]
The national anthem was played at closedown byRadio Éireann from its inception in 1926. TheCatholic Truth Society of Ireland included it in a 1929 publication commemorating the centenary of theRoman Catholic Relief Act 1829. Cinemas and theatres played the anthem when closing from 1932[5] until 1972.[n 3][40] Peadar Kearney, who had received royalties from sheet music publishers, issued legal proceedings for royalties from those now performing the anthem.[5] He was joined by Michael Heeney, brother of Patrick Heeney, who had died in 1911.[5] In 1934, theDepartment of Finance acquired the copyright of the song for the sum of £1,200 (£980 to the copyright holders plus £220 expenses[41]).[5][42][43] Copyright law changed in the 1950s,[n 4] such that the government had to reacquire copyright in 1965, for £2,500.[5][46] Ruth Sherry states that it is unclear whether the official anthem is the music alone or the text also;[5] however, the official 1934Estimate of the amount required ... for the acquisition by the state of copyright in the national anthem includes the line item, 'Payment to the holders of copyright in thewords and music of the "Soldier's Song"' [emphasis added].[41] While the state held the copyright, most requests for publication were accepted, "although several of a purely commercial nature, such as its use in advertisements, were refused".[47] As perEU copyright law, the English lyrics' copyright expired on 1 January 2013, following the 70th anniversary of Kearney's death.[48][49][n 5] In 2016, three Fianna Fáil senators introduced aprivate member's bill intended to restore the state's copyright in the anthem.[n 6] The ending of copyright also encourage theSeanad to announce a public consultation on the anthem.[53]
TheGovernor-General of the Irish Free State was theKing's representative and, as such, unionists considered that the appropriate official salute to play was "God Save The King" rather than the Free State Anthem. AtJames McNeill's 1928 inauguration, the Army band played "The Soldier's Song", but that summer, at two events with unionist organisers, he was greeted by "God Save The King".[54] The Executive Council advised him that in future the Free State anthem must be played.[55] McNeill declined a June 1929 invitation to theTrinity College sports when the college insisted that the British anthem was its tradition.[56][5] Unionists and people in Great Britain took this as a snub, while for republican commentators it encapsulated the Free State's attempts to suppress the truth about its subservience to Britain.[57] A compromise adopted in 1931 was that "The Soldier's Song" would mark the Governor General's arrival and he would leave before the end of the sports, when "God Save The King" would be played.[58] Following the1932 general election,Éamon de Valera became President of the Executive Council; as part of his campaign to abolish the office of Governor-General, he forbade the Army band from playing "The Soldier's Song" in McNeill's presence.[5]
The first ceremonial regulations for theIrish Defence Forces, drawn up in 1926, provided that the official "Presidential Salute" for the President of the Executive Council would be the first and last eight bars of the national anthem.[59] The1937 Constitution renamed the head of governmentTaoiseach, and introduced the office ofPresident of Ireland. The "Presidential Salute" has since 1937 been used for the President of Ireland, who as head of statetakes precedence over the Taoiseach.[59] The Taoiseach's salute is "Mór Chluana", an old Irish air to whichOsborn Bergin set "Amhrán Dóchais", which in the 1930s was often suggested as a replacement national anthem.[59][60]
The Irish translation was written byLiam Ó Rinn (1886–1943), later the Chief Translator of theOireachtas,[5] who was involved in the Irish versions of both the1922 Constitution and the1937 Constitution. Although Sherry says the Irish version was first published inAn tÓglach (the magazine of theIrish Defence Forces) on 3 November 1923,[5][61] an almost identical text was printed in theFreeman's Journal on 3 April 1923, under Ó Rinn's pen name "Coinneach".[62][63] It may have been written as early as 1917.[5][64] Ó Rinn's grandson Nial claims Liam started work on a translation while interned in Frongoch after the 1916 Rising.[3] Several other translations had been made by 1923, which Ó Rinn criticised as unreadable.[62] These were in literaryClassical Irish, whereas Ó Rinn favoured the living vernacular spoken inGaeltacht areas.[62] On the other hand, Ó Rinn's Irish was a second language which some native speakers found inelegant.[65] "Rosc Catha na nÓglach",T. F. O'Rahilly's translation,[66] was used byConradh na Gaeilge in the early 1920s;[67] in 1924, Padraig de Burca said it "deserves more favour than it has received".[68] Other translations included one sung by Claisceadal inUniversity College Galway in December 1931,[69] and others by Pádraig Mac Cárthaigh,[70] Sean Dubhthaigh,[71] Seamus Mac Grianna,[72] andErnest Blythe.[72] From the 1930s, theGaelic Athletic Association (GAA) encouraged singing the anthem in Irish at its matches.[5] The text of the Ó Rinn version was printed in 1933 inAn Camán,[n 7][5] and in the programs of GAA matches atCroke Park, where the crowd was led via thepublic address system by singers fromSt Patrick's College of Education andConradh na Gaeilge, led bySeán Ó Síocháin.[74] Also in 1933Eamonn O'Neill suggested in the Dáil that schoolchildren should be taught the words in both English and Irish.[75] In 1935Charles Bewley, Irish envoy to Germany, requested Irish lyrics because "the English text ... makes a bad impression abroad".[64]
Both the English and Irish texts appeared in various editions ofFacts about Ireland, published by theDepartment of Foreign Affairs,[5][76][77] and on the official website of theDepartment of the Taoiseach.[1]However, no Irish version has been officially adopted,[5] the state does not hold the copyright to any Irish version,[48] and Ó Rinn, unlike Kearney and Heeney's estate, never received royalties.[5] A memorandum in the Department of the Taoiseach on 5 April 1958 discussed five distinct Irish translations, noting that Ó Rinn's was the best known; it suggested that, if it were to be officially endorsed, the spelling and grammar should be standardised and the opening words "Sinne Fianna Fáil" changed to "Sinne laochra Fáil" to avoid association with theFianna Fáil political party.[64] The 2018 Seanad report on the anthem recommended no change to the wording, and pointed out that the law would not prevent a new political party adopting revised words like "Laochra Fáil" as its name.[78][n 8] The first recording of the anthem sung in Irish was onArgo Records in 1965 by Our Lady's Choral Society, Dublin, and theRadio Éireann Symphony Orchestra.[80]
The English version has been almost totally eclipsed, and many are unaware that the Irish lyrics are a translation.[5][81] In 1960 it was remarked that the anthem's effect at Croke Park was impaired by the fact that some people sang in English and others in Irish.[82]The Irish Times reported audience participation at a 1962 concert in theOlympia Theatre, Dublin under the headline "Sang National Anthem in Irish".[83]Frank Ormsby's 2017 poem "The National Anthem" parodies the Irish text (Buíon dár slua becomes "Binned. Arse. Loo.") which about 1960 he uncomprehendingly learnt by rote in a Catholic school in Northern Ireland.[84][85] In the 21st century the English version is still sung at home matches ofCeltic F.C., a GlasgowIrish-Scots football club.[86][87] The English version was sung in Canada during a state visit by PresidentMary McAleese in 1998,[88] and at the2004 Ryder Cup in the United States. The latter prompted objections fromFáilte Ireland,[89] and whatGaeltacht MinisterÉamon Ó Cuív called "an outcry" from viewers in Ireland.[90][91] A 2002 public sculpture of Kearney includes the Irish lyrics rather than Kearney's.[92] The 2018 Seanad report suggested that "For those not familiar with the Irish language, it may be appropriate to produce aphonetic version of the National Anthem".[93] Some foreign-born Irish international sportspeople have learned the Irish words via ad hoc phonetic versions, includingMick McCarthy of theassociation football team[94] andCJ Stander of therugby union team.[95]
In 1987, the anthem was recommended, but not required, to be taught as part of the civics syllabus innational schools.[96] Fianna Fáil's manifesto in the2007 general election promised to "include the national anthem in the primary school curriculum".[97][98] As of 2017[update] the primary school Social Personal and Health Education curriculum includes being "aware" of the anthem inthird/fourth class, and "respecting" it in fifth/sixth class.[99]Richard Bruton, theMinister for Education stated that it was "notDepartmental policy to impose regulations on schools regarding national expression", but that it had supported several initiatives which included the national anthem.[100] To mark the 2016 centenary of the Easter Rising, members of theDefence Forces visited each national school and presented it with a national flag and copies of the national anthem and the1916 Proclamation.[101] A 2017 opinion poll found 82% supported teaching the anthem in school; 40% claimed to know all the words and 40% "some" of them.[102] The 2018 Seanad report said the anthem was "indeed currently on the curriculum at primary school level. However, once it has been taught at primary school level there are little [sic] opportunities for students to use the National Anthem within the school environment".[103] It said suggestions to sing the anthem at school every day "may not be possible",[103] but school children could be encouraged to sing it on the eve[n 9] ofSaint Patrick's Day.[103] Making the teaching of the anthem mandatory was proposed again in 2025, byConor D. McGuinness of Sinn Féin.[104]
Although only the chorus forms the official national anthem, the music of both verse and chorus has often been played at sports events outside Ireland.[105] The text of the first verse appears as well as the chorus in early (1960s) editions of theDepartment of External Affairs's bookFacts About Ireland.[76] Later editions include only the chorus.[77]
The song is used by many Irish nationalists as an anthem for the entire island of Ireland. As such it is played at all GAA matches, including those inNorthern Ireland and overseas. The 2018 Seanad report on the anthem recommended awareness of the anthem among "Irish citizens at home and abroad, as well as new citizens of Ireland".[93] It was common in the twentieth century, and not unknown today, for a music session in a pub to end atclosing time with the playing of the national anthem. A 1961Evening Herald editorial complained that the anthem was played "far too often" and "usually in a most undignified manner", and that it "should be limited to very special occasions".[65]
There is no protocol specified for the anthem; the 2018 Seanad report on the anthem recommended adopting one and provided a draft.[106] Theflag protocol issued by theDepartment of the Taoiseach states that when the anthem is played in the presence of the national flag, all present should face the flag and stand to attention, and Defence Forces personnel should salute the flag, "until the last note of the music".[107] History professor Caoimhín De Barra comments, "I don't think I have ever seen anyone salute the flag during Amhrán na bhFiann. Certainly, nobody is standing to attention until the last note of music, given that we have effectively replaced the last line of the song with collective freestyle screaming and roaring."[108]
In 2017, the SeanadPublic Consultation Committee invited comments on "the most appropriate way the State should treat the National Anthem".[53] Its chair,Mark Daly, said, "The debate around this issue includes aspects of copyright law, cultural tolerance, respect for national symbols, public opinion, free speech and a range of other factors."[53] The committee published 71 of the submissions received,[109] several of whose authors were invited to its hearings on 5 December 2017.[3][110]Michael W. D'Arcy said the government favoured guidelines rather than legislation, and that penalties for misuse might prove counterproductive.[3][111] The committee's report was published in July 2018; it recommended producing an official translation intoIrish Sign Language (ISL).[112] A deaf choir performed an ISL version of the anthem inLeinster House at the report's official launch.[113] In January 2019, Fianna Fáil senators introduced a private member's bill "to confirm that the choral refrain, with or without the lyrics, of 'Amhrán na bhFiann' or, in the English Language, 'The Soldier's Song' is and continues to be the National Anthem; to provide for a version of the National Anthem in the Irish Sign Language; [and] to confirm that the Presidential Salute is and continues to be the music of the first 4 bars, followed by the last 4 bars, of the National Anthem".[114] The bill lapsed on the Dáil's2020 dissolution.[114] During the2021 COVID-19 lockdown, RTÉ published a guide byBishopstown Community School to assist schoolchildren learning the anthem's ISL version.[115]
Suggestions to replace the anthem are reported regularly.[92] In the 1933 Dáil debate on the state's acquisition of the song's copyright, there was discussion of its merits or lack thereof.Frank MacDermot said, 'Leaving out sentiment, I must confess, from both a literary and a musical point of view, I would regard the "Soldier's Song" as, shall we say, a jaunty little piece of vulgarity, and I think we could have done a lot better.'[116]Thomas F. O'Higgins responded, "National Anthems come about, not because of the suitability of the particular words or notes, but because they are adopted generally by the nation. That is exactly how the "Soldier's Song" became a National Anthem in this country. It happened to be the Anthem on the lips of the people when they came into their own and when the outsiders evacuated the country and left the insiders here to make the best or the worst of the country. It was adopted by the people here before ever it was adopted by the Executive Council".[116]Fintan O'Toole called it "Edwardian Englishmusic halljingo".[84]
The Irish version is a free translation of the English; Richard Parfitt says it tones down some of the original's militancy.[92] "Sinne Fianna Fáil"[fn 1] is not a literal translation of "Soldiers are we".Fianna Fáil, variously translated as "Soldiers of Destiny", "Warriors of Fál", "Warriors of Destiny", "The Irish Army", or "Soldiers of Ireland",[117] Éamon de Valera regarded the phrase'suntranslatability as a virtue.[118] This is from the IrishFianna ("bands of warriors"[119]) ofFál (acoronation stone, andmetonymically "Ireland"[120]).[121] As an Irish name for theIrish Volunteers, it was an alternative toÓglaigh na hÉireann. The initials "FF" appeared on the Volunteer badge, and remain on that ofIrish Defence Forces as successor to the Volunteers.[122] On 2 April 1926, "Fianna Fáil" was chosen as the name ofÉamon de Valera's new political party. Ó Rinn's version appeared in a 1927 volume of poetry with a foreword by de Valera.[123] Since the Irish version of the anthem became popular in the 1930s, there has been intermittent resentment of the party name's occurring in it.[5][124] Publishers Browne & Nolan printed a version in 1938 substituting "Sinne laochra Fáil" for "Sinne Fianna Fáil" (laochra,'heroes, warriors'), which is occasionally heard instead.[5] TDMaureen O'Sullivan likewise favoured changing to "laochra Fáil".[125] In the Dáil in 2011 and 2012, she asked theMinister for FinanceMichael Noonan whether "Sinne Fianna Fáil" was "appropriate and correct" or had "party political connotations"; Noonan stated it was appropriate and had no such connotations, given that the translation predated the party's founding.[48][126] The 2018 Seanad report on the anthem took the same view.[78]Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin said the Irish lyrics sound worse than the English ones, which rhyme and so are easier to learn.[127] Ó Súilleabháin has also written that the national anthem is "in effect an ungainly pastiche in the style of a British march".[128]
F. Gunther Eyck's survey of national anthems classifies "Amhrán na bhFiann" under "resistance anthems", alongside "La Marseillaise", "A Portuguesa", and "Poland Is Not Yet Lost".[134] The lyrics have been criticised by some commentators for alleged outdatedness, militarism, and anti-British sentiment.[135][136][137][138][139][140] Others deny such faults or attribute them to national anthems generally.[140][141][84] Richard Parfitt remarks of the lyrics that "few who sing it really wish to stand amidst 'cannon's roar' against the 'Saxon foe'".[142]Kevin Myers described calls for the anthem to be amended or replaced as "seasonal as spring".[136] Questions in the Dáil have been asked byFrank MacDermot in 1932;[143]Noel Lemass in 1973;[144]Trevor Sargent in 1993;[145]Derek McDowell in 1995;[146] andJohn Browne in 2000.[147] Commentators on the 1929 Trinity College incident suggested "The Soldier's Song" would be an impediment to closer ties between the Free State and Northern Ireland.[148] The executive of arts bodyAosdána rejected a 1989 proposal byAloys Fleischmann to campaign for a change of anthem, on the basis that it was a political rather than an artistic question.[149] In 1995, during theNorthern Ireland peace process, TaoiseachJohn Bruton suggested at theForum for Peace and Reconciliation that the anthem be changed, with Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin disagreeing.[150] The Forum drafted an unpublished report on "obstacles to reconciliation in the Republic"; 1998 newspaper articles summarising the draft claimed it suggested "the government could commission alternative anthems for sporting and other non-official occasions"[151] which were not "excessively militaristic".[152] In 1996Fergus McCann responded tosectarianism in Glasgow by banning Celtic F.C.terrace chants ofIrish rebel songs; "The Soldier's Song" was specifically excluded from the ban.[86] A 2017 opinion poll found 84% supported retaining the anthem, while 10% favoured replacing it.[102] Historian Fearghal McGarry suggests the fact that the lyrics are no longer sung in English dampens demand for change: "public unfamiliarity with Peadar Kearney's original words has almost certainly extended his song's shelf life as the national anthem".[153]
For the1995 World Cup in South Africa, the IRFU decided to commission a song fromPhil Coulter.[160][161] His composition, "Ireland's Call", has since been played alongside "Amhrán na bhFiann" at matches within the Republic, and on its own elsewhere, including in Northern Ireland.[161][162] Other all-island teams have adopted "Ireland's Call" for similar reasons to the IRFU's. Themen's andwomen's hockey teams adopted it in 2000, having previously used the "Londonderry Air";[163] however, a first-ever Olympic qualification saw theOlympic Council of Ireland standard "Amhrán na bhFiann" usedat Rio 2016.[164] Some sports use no anthem, including badminton and bowls.[129] Criticism that "Ireland's Call" was uninspiring promptedThe Irish Times to commission a jocular "alternanthem" fromThe Duckworth Lewis Method forSaint Patrick's Day 2010.[165]
A recording of "O'Donnell Abú" was played for the Irish showjumping team at a 1937 competition in Paris; ambassador Art O'Brien threatened a diplomatic incident since the other teams' anthems had been played by a military band.[166] The organisers had been unable to locate a copy of the score, and the Irish embassy had only a piano arrangement.[166] The same air was chosen by the women's hockey team for a 1951 away match againstthe Netherlands.[167]
The air is of a style comparable with British marches and songs of the era.[170]Colm Ó Lochlainn said, "The tune is not Irish; it sounds to me something between aSousa march and a German regimental song".[171] It is usually sung or played in march time. Differenttempos may be used, however, and the verse and chorus are occasionally played. In 1926 theradio orchestra of2RN was found too small for an adequate rendition, so a recording by theNew York "Fighting Irish" 69th Infantry was soon adopted, prompting complaints that it was toojazz-influenced.[172] A 1961Evening Herald editorial complained that the anthem was "usually played without any arrangement and often at a tempo more suggestive of ajig tune than an anthem".[65] Fritz Brase's 1930 arrangement was replaced forDefence Forces bands in the 1980s by one by Colonel James R. McGee which simplified the highwoodwind parts.Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), the Irish national broadcasting company, played an orchestral version in a slow tempo at the close of transmission from 1962 onwards.[173][174] This was produced byGerard Victory andarranged byBrian Boydell (who disliked the tune) on the advice of a Canadian consultant who said, "I wan' it BIG! I envisage the kind of music that will stir the hearts of the Irish people".[174][173] Boydell's version replaced one byJohn Francis Larchet introduced in 1954.[173] A special arrangement incorporatingtraditional Irish instruments was played instead duringEaster Week 1966, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising.[175] There was negative comment at the lively tempo used inthe ceremony forMichelle Smith's gold medalsat the 1996 Olympics.[176] The 1965 Argo version was inE-flat major rather than the usualB-flat major.[177]Bill Whelan commented, “I have long felt the original melody for our anthem delivers on all fronts: dignity, sing-ability, and emotional impact".[177]
The lyrics are those of anIrish rebel song, exhorting all Irish people (both "Gaels" and "men ofthe Pale") to participate in the struggle to end the hegemony ("despot" over "slave") of the English ("Saxon foe") in Ireland ("Inisfail"). There are allusions to earlierIrish rebellions, and to support fromIrish Americans ("from a land beyond the wave") such asClan na Gael.[178] Eyck attributes the song's rise to popularity to its "down-to-earth lines, descriptive imagery, fighting stance, and patriotic passion".[179]
The original Irish translation by Ó Rinn used distinctlyMunster Irish spelling,[61] however, slight variations exist in modern published versions; in the following texts, the chorus is from the 2018 Seanad report;[180] and the verses are based onNational Anthems of the World (6th edition) with Irish spellings altered to the standard,An Caighdeán Oifigiúil;[181] however, the original Munster spellings are still in common usage.[182][183][184][185]
Only the chorus is the established national anthem.
Irish translation
IPA transcription
English original
Sinne Fianna Fáil,[fn 1] atá faoi[fn 2] gheall ag Éirinn, Buíon dár slua thar toinn do ráinig chugainn, Faoi mhóid bheith saor Seantír ár sinsear feasta, Ní fhágfar faoin tíorán ná faoin tráill. Anocht a théam sa bhearna bhaoil, Le gean ar Ghaeil, chun báis nó saoil,[fn 3] Le gunna-scréach faoi lámhach na bpiléar, Seo libh canaig'[fn 4] amhrán na bhFiann.
Soldiers are we, whose lives are pledged to Ireland, Some have come from a land beyond the wave, Sworn to be free, no more our ancient sireland, Shall shelter the despot or the slave. Tonight we man thebearna bhaoil,[fn 5] In Erin's cause, come woe or weal, 'Mid cannons' roar and rifles' peal, We'll chant a soldier's song.
^Rather than the standard Irish formsfaoi andfaoin,National Anthems of the World hasfé andfé'n respectively,[181] which reflects theMunster Irish variants[186][187] used in the originally published lyrics.[61]
^Literal translation: "For love of theGael, towards death or life"
^canaíg orcanaidh, the form used in the original Irish translation of the song published by Ó Rinn[61] is aMunster Irish variant of the standard formcanaigí. As the standard form would not fit the meter the unusual formcanaig' used by The Department of the Taoiseach is evidently an abbreviation ofcanaigí.
^Kearney's original, otherwise English, text, includesbearna bhaoil, Irish for "gap of danger".[188]
The anthem consists only of the chorus of the song. The original has three verses, set to a slightly different tune, with the following lyrics:
Irish translation
English original
Seo dhíbh, a chairde, duan Ógláigh Caithréimeach bríomhar ceolmhar Ár dtinte cnámh go buacach táid 'S an spéir go mín réaltógach Is fonnmhar faobhrach sinn chun gleo 'S go tiúnmhar glé roimh thíocht don ló Fé chiúnas chaomh na hoíche ar seol Seo libh, canaídh Amhrán na bhFiann.
Curfá
Cois bánta réidhe, ar ardaibh sléibhe Ba bhuadhach ár sinsir romhainn Ag lámhach go tréan fén sárbhrat séin 'Tá thuas sa ghaoth go seolta Ba dhúchas riamh dár gcine cháidh Gan iompáil siar ó imirt áir 'S ag siúl mar iad i gcoinne námhad Seo libh, canaídh Amhrán na bhFiann
Curfá
A bhuíon nach fann d'fhuil Ghaeil is Gall Sin breacadh lae na saoirse Tá sceimhle 's scanradh i gcroíthe námhad Roimh ranna laochra ár dtíre Ár dtinte is tréith gan spréach anois Sin luisne ghlé sa spéir anoir 'S an bíobha i raon na bpiléar agaibh Seo libh, canaídh Amhrán na bhFiann
Curfá
We'll sing a song, a soldier's song With cheering, rousing chorus As round our blazing fires we throng The starry heavens o'er us Impatient for the coming fight And as we wait the morning's light Here in the silence of the night We'll chant a soldier's song
Chorus
In valley green, or towering crag Our fathers fought before us And conquered 'neath the same old flag That's proudly floating o'er us We're children of a fighting race That never yet has known disgrace And as we march, the foe to face We'll chant a soldier's song
Chorus
Sons of the Gael! Men of the Pale! The long-watched day is breaking The serried ranks of Innisfail Shall set the tyrant quaking Our camp fires now are burning low See in the east a silv'ry glow Out yonder waits the Saxon foe So chant a soldier's song
And here whereEire's glories bide, Clann London fain would flourish; But Ulster-wide, whate'er betide, No pirate blood[n 10] shall nourish; While flames the faith ofCon andOwen, WhileCave Hill guards the fame ofTone, FromGullion's Slopes toInishowen We'll chant a Soldier's Song.
^The year 1959 is given by Sherry, citing ministerJames Ryan when introducing the 1965 change. However, Eoin O'Dell surmises that the change referred to was section 9 of the Industrial and Commercial Property (Protection) (Amendment) Act, 1957.[44][45]
^The copyright in the Irish translation has also expired: either on 1 January 2014, being 70 years after Ó Rinn's death, or on 1 January 1974, being 50 years from its publication; the latter applies if Ó Rinn translated it in his capacity as a public servant.[50]
^"'The Doctor, the Countess and the Organist' – 1916 tales from St John's Sandymount". United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough. 12 August 2016. Retrieved20 November 2017.Cecil Grange MacDowell, who had been organist at St John's, who changed his name to Cathal Mac Dubhghaill, forsook his unionist background, joined the rebellion and wrote the first arrangement of the National Anthem.
^Robinson, Séamus."Witness Statement 1721"(PDF).Bureau of Military History. p. 66. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 23 November 2017. Retrieved5 February 2018.The Volunteers there were just wild because the Rebellion had come and gone and nothing had happened in proud Tipperary. What goaded the Volunteers more than anything else was the parody on "The Soldier's Song" which the British soldier elements used sing on the least provocation — "Soldiers are we, who nearly fought for Ireland".
^Bowles, Michael; Ní Ógáin, Ríonach (23 December 1983)."Claisceadal: 'Amhrán Dóchais'".The Irish Times (in Irish). p. 6. Retrieved19 March 2020.
^abcdÓ Rinn, Liam (3 November 1923)."Aḃrán na ḃFian"(PDF).An T-Óglaċ (in Irish).1 NS (17). Dublin: 13.
^abcCoinneach (3 April 1923). "Roinnt Versaiochta".Freeman's Journal (in Irish). p. 2.
^Breathnach, Diarmuid; Ní Mhurchú, Máire."Ó Rinn, Liam (1886–1943)".ainm.ie (in Irish). Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge. Retrieved12 February 2019.ainm eile: Coinneach
^Cuan Ó Seireadáin, Receipt No. 39 pp. 82–83 in Seanad Public Consultation Committee 2018b
^de Burca, Padraic (1924). "The soldier's song". In W. G. Fitzgerald (ed.).The voice of Ireland/Glór na hÉireann: a survey of the race and nation from all angles by the foremost leaders at home and abroad. Dublin and London: Virtue & Co. pp. 151–153.
^"Amhran na bhFiann".Connacht Sentinel (in Irish). 29 December 1931. p. 2.
^Sherry 1998 p.39;Mac Cárthaigh, Pádraig (17 November 1917)."Aṁrán na ḃFíann!".An Claidheamh Soluis (in Irish): 5 [p. 261 of online volume]. Retrieved2 January 2021.
^Sherry 1998 p.39; printed [as cited in Coakley 1980 fn.33] inAn Phoblacht (18 April 1931); reprinted inAr Aghaidh vol.1 no.8 (October 1931)
^"Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. — The National Anthem".Dáil Éireann (8th Dáil). Oireachtas. 25 July 1933. Retrieved21 February 2019.Does he not think it right that the National Anthem should be taught to children in the National Schools? ... In what language? ... Bilingual.
^Ormsby, Frank (2017). "The National Anthem".The Darkness of Snow. Newcastle: Bloodaxe. p. 7.ISBN978-1780373669.
^abPollak, Andy (26 September 1996)."Celt fans who sing pro-IRA songs to be banned".The Irish Times. p. 5. Retrieved24 September 2020.Mr McLean emphasised that the Irish National Anthem, whose English version, The Soldier's Song, is sung by the fans, is not on the banned list.
^abcParfitt, Richard (2 October 2019). "Reclaiming an Irish National Hero: Seamus De Búrca's Biography of Peadar Kearney, The Soldier's Song (1957)".Journal of Musicological Research.38 (3–4):313–328.doi:10.1080/01411896.2019.1643244.S2CID201476692.
^abSeanad Public Consultation Committee 2018a p.27
^Fáil, Fianna (May 2007)."The Next Steps Forward to a Future that is Healthier, Fairer and More Inclusive; Education"(PDF).Now, The Next Steps. michaelpidgeon.com. p. 124. Retrieved20 November 2017.Include the national anthem in the primary school curriculum, teach school children about the role and significance of our national flag, and instil in them respect for the place of other nations' anthems and flags
^Ó Dónaill, Niall."fiann".Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla (in Irish). Foras na Gaeilge. Retrieved28 June 2020.
^"5 fál".Dictionary of the Irish Language. Royal Irish Academy. Retrieved28 June 2020.;Ó Dónaill, Niall."Fál2".Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla. Foras na Gaeilge. Retrieved28 June 2020.
^Ó Cuív, Shán, ed. (1927).An Dórd Féinne agus Dánta Eile (in Irish). Dublin: Brown & Nolan.OCLC563806681.; cited in Coakley 1980 p.176 & fn.32
^Mulcahy, Richard (2 December 1958)."Third Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 1958—Second Stage (resumed)".Dáil Éireann – Volume 171. p. col.1316. Archived fromthe original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved14 March 2009.Fianna Fáil, stemming from those years which we must regard as very unfortunate, slipping its hand into the "Soldier's Song", which became the National Anthem, and taking its name out of it so that school children and people who wanted to honour the country in the National Anthem, and wanted to cement the country's institutions, would be expected to sing "Sinne Fianna Fáil".
^Donohue, Laura K. (December 1998). "Regulating Northern Ireland: The Special Powers Acts, 1922-1972".The Historical Journal.41 (4). Cambridge University Press:1089–1120.doi:10.1017/S0018246X98008188.JSTOR3020863.S2CID159502014.
^Smith, Michelle (1996).Gold : a triple champion's story. Edinburgh: Mainstream. pp. 109–110.ISBN9781851589302. Retrieved21 February 2019.It was also thrilling to see the tricolour go up and hear them play "Amhran na bhFiann". I know there was controversy at home over the speed they played the anthem, but I couldn't care less what version they used. I was so wrapped up in the emotion of it all that it didn't dawn on me that the speed was wrong[.]
^Williams, W. H. A. (1996).'Twas only an Irishman's dream: the image of Ireland and the Irish in American popular song lyrics, 1800–1920.University of Illinois Press. p. 187.ISBN0-252-06551-4.
^Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977)."fé".Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla. Foras na Gaeilge. Retrieved11 February 2023.
^"Na Rialacha : 23 I".Litriú na Gaeilge – Lámhleabhar An Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (in Irish). Dublin: Stationery Office / Oifig an tSoláthair. 1947. p. 26. Retrieved11 February 2023.
^Victor Meally, ed. (1968).Encyclopaedia of Ireland. A. Figgis. p. 172.
McGarry, Fearghal (2015).The Abbey Rebels of 1916: A Lost Revolution. Gill & Macmillan.ISBN9780717168811.
Morris, Ewan (May 1998). "'God Save the King' Versus 'The Soldier's Song': The 1929 Trinity College National Anthem Dispute and the Politics of the Irish Free State".Irish Historical Studies.31 (121):72–90.doi:10.1017/S0021121400013705.JSTOR30007063.S2CID156107767.
Ryan, Joseph J. (August 1987)."Chapter V; The National Anthem"(PDF).The Army School of Music, 1922–1940: Its formation and evolution with a critical assessment of the compositions of its first director, Wilhelm Fritz Brase (M.A.). Vol. I.NUI Maynooth. pp. 167–174.
Sherry, Ruth (1998). "The Uses of the National Anthem". In Westarp, Karl-Heinz; Böss, Michael (eds.).Ireland: Towards New Identities?. The Dolphin. Vol. 29. Aarhus University Press. pp. 37–55.ISBN9788772883809.
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