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In themusic of Ireland,Irish rebel songs arefolk songs which are primarily about thevarious rebellions againstBritish Crown rule. Songs about prior rebellions are a popular topic of choice among musicians which supportedIrish nationalism andrepublicanism.
When they discuss events during the 20th and 21st centuries, Irish rebel songs focus onphysical force Irish republicanism in the context of theEaster Rising, theIrish War of Independence, theAnti-Treaty IRA during theIrish Civil War, and, more recently,the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
The tradition of rebel music in Ireland date back to the period ofEnglish (and later British) crown rule, and describe historical events inIrish history such asrebellions against the Crown and reinforcing a desire for self-determination among the Irish people and theIrish diaspora.[citation needed]
As well as a deep-rooted sense of tradition, rebel songs have nonetheless remained contemporary, and since the end of theIrish Civil War in 1923, the focus has moved onto thenationalist cause in Northern Ireland and theIrish Free State, including support for theAnti-Treaty IRA, theProvisional IRA, theINLA, andSinn Féin.[1] However, the subject matter is not confined to Irish history, and includes the exploits of theConnolly Column, who fought for theRepublican side in theSpanish Civil War, and alsothose who participated in theAmerican Civil War. There are also some songs that express sorrow over war (from a Republican perspective), such asOnly our rivers run free, and some have been covered by bands that have tweaked lyrics to be explicitlyanti-war, such as the cover ofThe Patriot Game by Scottish bandThe Bluebells.
Over the years, a number of bands have performed "crossover" music, that is, Irish rebel lyrics and instrumentation mixed with other, morepop styles.Damien Dempsey is known for his pop-influenced rebel ballads and bands likeBeltaine's Fire andKneecap combine Rebel music withPolitical hip hop and other genres.[citation needed]
Irish rebel music has occasionally gained international attention.The Wolfe Tones' version ofA Nation Once Again was voted the number one song in the world byBBC World Service listeners in 2002.[2] Many of the more popular acts recently such asSaoirse,Éire Óg, Athenrye, Shebeen,Mise Éire andPádraig Mór are fromGlasgow. The Bog Savages of San Francisco are fronted by an escapee fromBelfast'sLong Kesh prison who made his break in the September 1983 "Great Escape" by the IRA.
Music of this genre has often courted controversy with some of this music effectively banned from the airwaves in theRepublic of Ireland in the 1980s. More recently,Derek Warfield's music was banned fromAer Lingus flights, after theUlster Unionist politicianRoy Beggs Jr compared his songs to the speeches ofOsama bin Laden.[3] However, a central tenet of the justification for rebel music from its supporters is that it represents a long-standing tradition of freedom from tyranny.[4]
Themes include "Arbour Hill", aboutthe place; "Fergal O'Hanlon", aboutthe man; "Northern Gaels"/"Crumlin Jail", aboutthe prison; "The Ballad of Mairead Farrell", aboutthe woman; "Seán Treacy", aboutthe man; and "Pearse Jordan", aboutthe man.
On the occasion of his being the first Irish actor to win theBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2024 forOppenheimer,Cillian Murphy quipped "It means a lot to me to be Irish. I don't know what else to say – should I sing a rebel song?".[5][6]
The 1983U2 albumWar includes the song "Sunday Bloody Sunday", a lament for theNorthern Ireland troubles whose title alludes to the 1972Bloody Sunday shooting of Catholic demonstrators by British soldiers. In concert,Bono began introducing the song with the disclaimer "this song isnot a rebel song".[8] These words are included in the version onUnder a Blood Red Sky, the 1983 live album of theWar Tour. The 1988 concert filmRattle and Hum includes a performance hours after the 1987Remembrance Day bombing in Enniskillen, which Bono condemns in a mid-song rant.
In response,Sinéad O'Connor released a song with the title "This is a Rebel Song",[9] as she explains in her live albumHow About I Be Me (And You Be You)?
