The text was first published in Bulmer Hobson’s Irish Freedom in September 1912, with, however, no attribution of author. The words and music may well have been written as early as 1907. The original text was in English and consisted of three stanzas and a chorus. Peadar Kearney, an IRB member and the author of many popular political songs and verses, produced the text of ‘The Soldier’s Song’, working in collaboration with Patrick Heeney, who was mainly responsible for the melody.
In some cases, players sing along to ‘Ireland’s Call’, with ‘Amhrán na bhFiann’ left as an instrumental number. The new song, ‘Ireland’s Call’, is now often used as an alternative to the national anthem at Irish sporting events, most notably by the Irish Rugby Football Union. So when, in the late 1980s, a member of the Irish rugby squad had to retire due to injuries from an IRA roadside bomb, it was decided that a new song would be commissioned. The militaristic lyrics of ‘Amhrán na bhFiann’ started to prove problematic after the anthem was adopted by republicans in Ireland.ĭuring the Irish War of Independence between 19, ‘Amhrán na bhFiann’ was even dubbed the ‘Sinn Fein anthem’. ‘Amhrán na bhFiann’, which translates as ‘The Soldier’s Song’, was composed as an Irish rebel song between 19, with English lyrics by Peader Kearney and music by his childhood friend Patrick Heeney.īut today, Kearney’s English lyrics are pretty much unused – and it wasn’t until Liam Ó Rinn translated the song into Irish that it was officially adopted as Ireland’s national anthem, in 1926. The song has three verses, but only the above chorus is used as the country’s official national anthem. Le gunna-scréach faoi lámhach na bpiléar, Early Irish rebellions and the support from Irish Americans are also referenced in this anthem.
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When looking at the full text, the general theme is that the Irish people all needed to band together to end the rule of the English. The song was originally written as an Irish rebel song. Today, the English version of the anthem is rarely used, and many people are not aware that the Irish version was not the original version. Parts of the original song are also used for the Presidential Salute. Instead, the anthem is comprised of the choral refrain. The original song features three verses, but these are not part of the official national anthem that was adopted in 1926. It wasn’t until 1923 when Liam O Rinn wrote Irish lyrics to accompany the music. Peadar Kearney wrote the lyrics to the song the same year in English.
The national anthem of Ireland is known as “Amhran na bhFiann” or “The Soldier’s Song.” The music for the song was originally written in 1907 by Patrick Heeney.