"The Dying Rebel" (My Only Son was Shot in Dublin) is a popular

Irish rebel song In the music of Ireland, Irish rebel songs refer to folk songs which are primarily about the various rebellions against English (and later British) Crown rule. Songs about prior rebellions are a popular topic of choice among musicians which supp ...

about a man finding a dying Irish rebel from

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

during the 1916

Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

. Its age is uncertain, but it is still sung by contemporary Irish singers. The song does not refer to the death of any particular rebel. It reflects on the human cost of rebellion rather than the glorification of the conflict and the martyrdom of its leaders. It has been performed and recorded by many Irish artists. It originates from sometime before 1961, but the author is unknown. In 1957, the Glasgow born skittle player

Lonnie Donegan Anthony James Donegan (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002), known as Lonnie Donegan, was a British skiffle singer, songwriter and musician, referred to as the "King of Skiffle", who influenced 1960s British pop and rock musicians. Born in Scotl ...

made a recording of the song, which was released in 1958. It was recorded in Ireland on the Glenside label in 1961 by Patricia Blake. It was recorded by Tommy Drennan and the Monarchs in 1966 and released on the Ember label album ''Fifty Years After''. It was re-released on the Celtic Pride label, on ''Kevin Barry'', in 1999.

Dominic Behan Dominic Behan ( ; ga, Doiminic Ó Beacháin; 22 October 1928 – 3 August 1989) was an Irish songwriter, singer, short story writer, novelist and playwright who wrote in Irish and English. He was also a socialist and an Irish republican. Born i ...

recorded it on the soundtrack of the 1966 TV documentary ''Rebellion At Easter''. More recently it was recorded by

The Wolfe Tones The Wolfe Tones are an Irish rebel music band that incorporate Irish traditional music in their songs. Formed in 1963, they take their name from Theobald Wolfe Tone, one of the leaders of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, with the double meaning of ...

Sonny Knowles Sonny Knowles (2 November 1932 – 15 November 2018) was an Irish singer who performed show band and cabaret songs. Knowles was born in Dublin to Tommy and Mary Knowles. He was brought up in The Liberties in Dublin and moved permanently to Mu ...

(on ''Sunshine and Shamrocks''),

Margo *** People * Margo (actress) (1917–1985), Mexican-American actress and dancer * Margo (magician), American magic performer and actress * Margo (singer), Irish singer * Margo (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name P ...

on ''Country and Irish'', The Jolly Beggarmen (on ''The Very Best of Irish Rebel Songs''), Athenrye (on ''The Dying Rebel'', 1997), Clover Rebel Band, and the Merry Ploughboys (on their second album, ''Unharnessed'', 1999). A popular version of the song was recorded by Éire Óg, although the song was written decades before the band formed.

References

{{Irish rebel songs Irish songs Songwriter unknown 20th-century songs