Just Irish Music

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...

O’Sullivan’s Return — A Ballad of Homecoming and Tragedy O’Sullivan’s Return is one of the most powerful narrative ballads in the Irish tradition — a song that begins in hope and ends in heartbreak. It tells of a chieftain returning to his ancestral home in Beara , West Cork, after long years in exile. As his ship draws near the coast, he looks toward his castle with tears in his eyes, dreaming of reunion with family, clan, and country. The early verses are filled with emotion and anticipation. O’Sullivan imagines the joyful welcome awaiting him: banners shaking in his great hall, the clasp of loyal hands, and the sound of his people’s cry — “O’Sullivan abú!” — echoing across the shore. He envisions not only homecoming, but freedom: Ireland rising once again, the Norman oppressors driven out, and Desmond and all Éire restored. But the sea, so calm at day’s end, turns violent as darkness falls. A sudden storm rises — almost as if the wind itself heard his proud vow. The ship is s...

The Wearing Of The Green | Powerful Irish Rebel Song (They’re Hanging Men & Women) The Wearing Of The Green — A Powerful Irish Rebel Ballad “The Wearing of the Green” is one of Ireland’s most enduring rebel ballads — a powerful anthem of resilience and resistance that has echoed through generations of Irish hearts. Born in the dark days of the 1798 Rebellion , when the United Irishmen rose against British rule, the song became a symbol of defiance, unity, and national pride. At its core, the ballad laments the brutal suppression of Irish identity. Wearing a simple green ribbon — the color long associated with Irish nationalism — became a punishable act. The lyrics speak of arrests, executions, and forced exile for those who dared to display their loyalty to Ireland. The song’s central figure is often portrayed as a young Irishman being led to execution for the crime of wearing green — his only offence being pride in his heritage. Yet, amidst the sorrow, the message...

Step into the mists of Irish legend with The Banshee Calling, a spine-tingling ballad that breathes life into the ancient folklore of Ireland. Through vivid verses and haunting visuals, this piece explores the ethereal presence of the banshee — the fairy woman whose mournful wail foretells death. From moonlit boglands to castle walls, she roams the Irish landscape, bound by fate and sorrow. Whether seen as a radiant maiden or a weeping crone, her cry still chills the blood and echoes across generations. This ballad honours the spirit of Irish storytelling, blending history, myth, and music to awaken the memory of the Irish diaspora and those who carried their legends across the sea. Watch, listen, and feel the ghostly breath of tradition stir once more. #IrishMusic #Banshee #IrishBallad #CelticMythology #IrishDiaspora #FolkLore #TraditionalIrish #GhostStory #IrishHeritage #HauntingMusic #Ireland #MythicalIreland #Gaeilge #IrishCulture #Fae #CelticSpirits #OldIreland #...

Ireland, 1779 — A Land on the Edge of Memory A grey fog hung low over the sea, and in the hush before dawn, a foreign fleet emerged on the horizon. The wind carried no sound, only the steady advance of masts and sails—tall, foreign, and full of silent menace. The people along the Irish coast watched from behind stone walls and gorse-covered hills, eyes narrowed, hearts clenched. Ireland, already bruised by centuries of conquest, stood once more on the edge of uncertainty. The year was 1779, and Ireland found herself again at a crossroads between survival and surrender. Though these ships bore no army this time, their arrival cast a long shadow—an omen of cultural erasure more potent than cannon fire. It was not only land or sovereignty that hung in the balance, but the very soul of the nation. For what is a people without their voice? A Language Silenced Long before the first gunfire of invasion, there was another war—a quieter one. A war fought in the schools, in the churches, a...

The Flight of the Earls – September 1607 A Turning Point in Irish History On a quiet September morning in 1607, a small ship slipped away from the shores of Lough Swilly in County Donegal. Aboard were Hugh O'Neill , Earl of Tyrone, and Rory O'Donnell , Earl of Tyrconnell — two of the most powerful Gaelic lords in Ireland. With them were nearly one hundred family members, loyal followers, and retainers. They would never return. This event would become known as “The Flight of the Earls” — a departure that marked not only the end of an era, but the collapse of a centuries-old Gaelic order. With the sailing of that ship, Ireland lost her last native princes, and the door was thrown open for total English control. What followed was conquest, colonisation, and the slow dismantling of a civilisation rooted in language, law, custom, and clan. The End of Gaelic Ireland To understand the weight of the Flight, we must return to the years before it. The late 16th century was a time ...