"It Takes the Irish to Beat the Dutch" is a song written in 1903 by

Edward Madden Edward Madden (July 17, 1878 – March 11, 1952) was an American lyricist. Early life Madden was born in New York City and graduated from Fordham University. After graduation, he wrote material for many singers including Fanny Brice and ...

and

Theodore Morse Theodore F. Morse (April 13, 1873 – May 25, 1924) was an American composer of popular songs. Biography Born in Washington, D.C., Morse was educated at the Maryland Military & Naval Academy. He went on to study both violin and piano. He and ...

. The song has several verses, each of them filled with stereotypical Irish bragging about their supposed superiority to Germans ("Dutch" in old-fashioned terminology). The chorus is in the form of a

limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

. Sample lyric: :''The Germans are a mighty race improving every year'' :''They lead the world in science, sauerkraut, and lager beer'' :''But there's a race surpassing them in this world and the next'' :''And on the tomb of Germany someday you'll read this text'' :''It takes the Irish to beat the Dutch'' :''What the Irish can't accomplish it don't amount to much'' :''With their scientific tricks'' :''They could never fool the Micks'' :''You can bet it takes the Irish to beat the Dutch''

External links

One of Billy Murray's recordings of the song
1903 songs Billy Murray (singer) songs Songs with lyrics by Edward Madden Songs with music by Theodore F. Morse {{1900s-song-stub