Irish Music Selections

A rousing, defiant anthem that traces centuries of struggle against the Crown and argues for a united Ireland with the recurring refrain "The beach is the border." It draws on historical memory — naming 1922 and the northern counties — and matters because songs like this continue the Irish tradition of telling history, asserting identity, and galvanising communities through music. Hey! Onward we march, forever we strived, the heart of our nation shall not be deprived For eight hundred years, we stood strong in the fight, Through Torment and Famine, our spirits ignite. We took every burden, we weathered the storm, And still we stood firm as the centuries rolled on. The Crown came a killing, their banners waved high, But they couldn't destroy us, although many died. From east to the west and the north to the south When our people united, we drove them back out. The beach is the border, it always will be, From village to city, We'll rise and be free. A nation d...

The human cost behind the lines The lyrics of The Beach is the Border throw you straight into a moment Irish people still argue about: the years around 1916–1923 when hopes, betrayals and political deals reshaped this island. The song’s refrain — “the beach is the border” — isn’t just a slogan. It points to a stubborn, island logic: that the sea marks the edge of a nation, not an invisible line cutting through communities. From the 1916 Rising to the War of Independence and the Treaty of 1921, ordinary lives were upended. Young men who’d fought the Crown in skirmishes and ambushes came home to find family plots, livelihoods and neighbours divided by a decision made in Westminster. The Government of Ireland Act and the subsequent partition created Northern Ireland, leaving six counties — Armagh, Down, Antrim, Fermanagh, Derry and Tyrone — under a separate administration. That’s the territory the song lists, and you can hear the ache in the call to “bring them back home.” There’s anoth...