Just Irish Music

Rain On Kilmainham – A Ballad for the Fallen of 1916 In the grey hours of the morning on May 3rd, 1916, the stone walls of Kilmainham Gaol bore witness to something Ireland would never forget — the execution of the leaders of the Easter Rising. No cheers. No fanfare. Just rain tapping gently on rusted gates, as if the sky itself mourned what was about to unfold. “Rain On Kilmainham” is not just a song. It’s a **ballad woven from silence, sorrow, and the unyielding spirit of rebellion. Every word carries the echo of a name once called in the yard. Every image remembers what so many were meant to forget. This cinematic tribute reimagines the final moments of Pearse, Connolly, and their comrades through a Film Noir lens — stark shadows, cold stone, the chill of inevitability. But within that darkness, there is light: candles in cell windows, flags flying low in defiance, the whisper of rebel lore passed from child to child. From Cell to Execution Yard The opening scenes show the pri...

The Ballad of McCafferty – A Tragic Tale of an Irish Soldier Hanged at 19 In 1861, a young Irish lad named Patrick McCaffery stood before a judge in Liverpool. He was just nineteen years old. The sentence was swift and final: “Go prepare your soul for eternity.” Within weeks, he was hanged at Kirkdale Gaol in front of a massive crowd. Today, his name lives on through a haunting Irish ballad — “McCafferty.” But behind the verses lies a chilling true story of poverty, power, and a system that broke the very people it claimed to serve. From Athy to the Barracks Patrick McCaffery was born in Athy, County Kildare , in 1842 — a time of famine and hardship across Ireland. Orphaned young and raised in poverty, like many others, he turned to the British Army as a way out. He joined the 60th Rifles (King’s Royal Rifle Corps) at around 17 or 18 years of age, hoping for a steady wage and a future. Instead, he found humiliation, cruelty, and a rigid system where Irish lads were often tre...

The Young Servant Man – An Irish Ballad of Iron Doors and Unbreakable Love Some songs don’t just tell a story — they trap you in it. “The Young Servant Man” is one of those rare Irish ballads that wraps its melody around a tale of love, punishment, and unexpected redemption. Originally collected by Lucy Broadwood in Sussex in 1901, this version is linked to a melody found in Bunting’s Ancient Music of Ireland — a tune with deep Irish roots and English print-life, shared under names like “The Cruel Father” and “Two Affectionate Lovers.” No matter its origin, its soul is unmistakably Irish. The tale centers around a nobleman’s daughter who falls deeply for a servant. Her beauty is described as unmatched, and her heart as loyal — a contrast to her father’s wrath. When the romance is uncovered, the father doesn’t merely scold or forbid. He builds a dungeon. A literal one. Stone walls, bread and water, daily beatings — all meant to crush love. But love in Irish ballads never dies so...

Mrs. McGrath & Her Son Ted – A Traditional Irish Ballad of War and Loss “Mrs. McGrath” is one of the most moving and enduring Irish ballads from the 19th century, often sung with both sorrow and pride. Set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, the song tells the tragic story of a young man named Ted who leaves Ireland to become a soldier and returns without his legs — casualties of a cannonball. His mother, Mrs. McGrath, confronts both him and the cruel absurdity of war with characteristic Irish wit and raw emotion. The origins of the ballad stretch far into Irish oral tradition. It appeared on Dublin broadsides as early as 1815, and scholars believe it references the Peninsular Campaign (1808–1814), part of the larger Napoleonic conflict. Over time, it became deeply associated with Irish nationalism and was sung widely during the Easter Rising of 1916 and the War of Independence. Mrs. McGrath is not just a mother grieving her son’s injury; she symbolizes Ireland itself —...

Tarry Trousers: An Irish Folk Ballad of Love, Loyalty, and the Sea Tarry Trousers is a traditional Irish folk song that has traveled through centuries, ports, and hearts. Rooted in oral tradition, it captures a classic theme: a young woman’s love for a sailor, and her rejection of a more materially secure suitor. It is a tale of fidelity — to love, to the sea, and to one’s own heart. This version of Tarry Trousers comes from Sam Henry’s monumental collection , Songs of the People , a treasure trove of Irish folk lyrics gathered in the early 20th century from singers across Northern Ireland. What’s remarkable about this ballad is how many versions exist — Henry himself connects it to over sixteen related songs, including Oh No, John , The Dumb Lady , and The Spanish Merchant’s Daughter . The phrase “tarry trousers” refers to the waterproofed pants worn by sailors, who used tar to protect their garments from saltwater and wear. The term "Jack Tar" became common in the 18t...

 One Eyed Reilly’s Daughter — A Wild Irish Ballad of Love, Brass Drums & Flying Pistols If you’ve ever sat in an Irish pub late into the night and heard the walls ring with roaring laughter, flying verses, and the occasional bang of a bodhrán — chances are, you’ve heard some version of One Eyed Reilly’s Daughter . It’s a raucous, light-hearted Irish ballad that plays like a comedy sketch with a rhythm, and it’s just as mad as it sounds. At its heart, this is the story of a lad who falls for a girl — not just any girl, but the daughter of the formidable One-Eyed Reilly , a man with a bright red glittering eye, a love of the big brass drum, and an unpredictable temper. Of course, that doesn’t stop our hero. He’s smitten. He chats her up by the fire, imagines a life together, and before long, he’s down on one knee with a ring and a parson in tow. But no good Irish tale unfolds without a twist. Reilly bursts onto the scene, pistols blazing, looking for the man who dared marry hi...

The Bantry Girls’ Lament – A Song of Love, War, and Exile In the haunting verses of The Bantry Girls’ Lament , we hear more than just a tragic love story — we hear the echo of Ireland’s torn heart, scattered across foreign fields and tangled in the wars of empires. This traditional Irish ballad centres around Johnny , a young Irishman who leaves the green hills of Bantry to fight in a faraway war — and never returns. The song is sung from the perspective of the women left behind, who mourn his loss with a quiet, enduring sorrow. But behind their lament lies a deeper political and historical truth, one that connects Ireland to the storm of war that swept through Europe in the early 1800s. The War Behind the Song The “wars of Spain” mentioned in the ballad refer to the Peninsular War (1808–1814) — a brutal conflict fought on the Iberian Peninsula between Napoleon’s French army and the allied forces of Spain, Portugal, and Britain . The war erupted after Napoleon invaded Spain and re...

“Youghal Harbour” is more than just another Irish ballad — it’s a haunting story wrapped in melody, passed down through generations like salt on the Atlantic wind. What begins as a simple tale of lost love soon stretches across counties, hearts, and oceans. The result is a song that feels deeply personal, yet universally Irish. At the heart of the ballad is Jamie, a young man once full of hope and love, whose world begins to unravel not through betrayal, but through the slow grind of other people’s decisions. He falls in love with Nancy, a girl from Youghal whose family believes she’s too good for him. Her parents, cold and proud, banish her — not to punish her, but to punish him. They tear the young couple apart before it even begins, sending Jamie walking with nothing but heartbreak and the road ahead. As he wanders through the sweet green valleys of Ireland, Jamie arrives in County Cavan, where fate introduces him to another woman. She’s gentle, fair, and kind — but already tied i...

Few songs stir the Irish heart like The Boys of Wexford — a proud and defiant ballad that echoes across generations. Its verses tell of ordinary men and women who rose against tyranny, of rebels who fought with pikes and passion, and of sacrifices made in the name of Irish freedom. And now, this historic anthem has been given a new life — not just in song, but in vision. In this special project, The Boys of Wexford has been reimagined through a fully illustrated video, with each line matched to a cinematic image. Thirty-six in total. Each one crafted to follow the story as it unfolds: the captain’s daughter offering to fight for liberty, the call to arms at Vinegar Hill, the cannon fired into Lord Mountjoy, the victories at Ross and Wexford — and the bitter lessons of drink, loss, and betrayal. The result is not just a music video — it’s a visual journey through one of Ireland’s most significant uprisings. Every scene is infused with historical realism and emotional weight. The rag...

Boulavogue – The Song That Carries the Spirit of 1798 “Boulavogue” is more than a traditional Irish ballad — it is an echo of a moment in history when ordinary people rose with extraordinary courage. Written to honour the heroes of the 1798 Wexford Rebellion , the song has become one of Ireland’s most powerful musical memorials, capturing the bravery, tragedy, and hope of a community pushed to the edge. Though centuries have passed, the fire in this song has never dimmed. The story begins in the quiet Wexford village of Boulavogue, where Father John Murphy served as the local parish priest. Murphy was not a political agitator by nature; he was, in every sense, a reluctant rebel. For years he urged his parishioners to avoid uprising and keep peace. But when Crown forces began burning homes, harassing families, and dragging innocent people from their beds, Murphy saw that neutrality was no longer an option. The people were defenceless — and he knew they needed someone to guide them. W...

The Flight of the Earls tells the story of a fateful September in 1607 when the proud Gaelic lords of Ulster set sail from the shores of Ireland, carrying with them the last light of the old Gaelic order. The song captures that moment not as quiet tragedy but as a storm of emotion — the clash of loyalty, loss, and hope that marked the end of an age. Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and Rory O’Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell, once the great defenders of Ireland against Elizabeth’s armies, found themselves surrounded by betrayal, spies, and the tightening chains of conquest. Knowing their lands would soon be seized and their heads hunted, they gathered their families, followers, and priests and boarded ships at Rathmullan on Lough Swilly. As the sails caught the wind, Ireland watched its nobility vanish into the western sea. Yet this Irish ballad does not weep in silence; it beats like a drum of farewell. The fiddles rise, the bodhrán strikes, and the voices of the people send their lords away...

The Irish State Wears Borrowed Shame is a fierce modern protest song that tears the mask from the face of a nation that has forgotten its own rebellion. It speaks from the soil upward, from the people who still toil and pay while the powerful trade away Ireland’s soul for comfort and position. The verses echo the cadence of old rebel ballads yet strike with the anger of the present age. In its first verse, the song paints the image of ordinary men and women working the same fields their ancestors fought for, but under a new kind of bondage — not the red hand of empire but the polished bureaucracy of Brussels and the greed of homegrown elites. It condemns the false promises of parties that once claimed to fight for freedom but now live on deception and foreign favour. The second verse turns the blade inward, calling out Sinn Féin, once the banner of resistance, now accused of wearing the tricolour while serving the same masters they once swore to overthrow. The third verse widens the sc...