Just Irish Music

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 —...

 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...