Down by the Glenside (The Bold Fenian Men) is an

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 ...

written by

Peadar Kearney Peadar Kearney ( ga, Peadar Ó Cearnaígh ; 12 December 1883 – 24 November 1942) was an Irish republican and composer of numerous rebel songs. In 1907 he wrote the lyrics to "A Soldier's Song" ( ga, " Amhrán na bhFiann", italics=no), now t ...

, an

Irish Republican Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate. The develop ...

and composer of numerous rebel songs, including " The Soldier's Song" (''"Amhrán na bhFiann''"), now the Irish

National Anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...

, and "The Tri-coloured Ribbon". Kearney was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, popularly known as the Fenians. He wrote the song at about the time of the

1916 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 ...

, referring back to the earlier Fenian Rising of 1867. It evokes the memory of the freedom-fighters of the previous generation (''strong, manly forms...eyes with hope gleaming''), as recalled by an old woman ''down by the

glen A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...

side''. It is effectively a call to arms for a generation of Irishmen accustomed to political

nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...

Versions

Three verses to this song were sung by Ken Curtis and The Sons of the Pioneers in the

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John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

movie ''

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...

'', though the film was set in the 19th Century

Wild West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

Richard Dyer-Bennet Richard Dyer-Bennet (6 October 1913 in Leicester, England – 14 December 1991 in Monterey, Massachusetts) was an English-born American folk singer (or his own preferred term, "minstrel"), recording artist, and voice teacher. Biography He was bo ...

recorded the song on his first self produced LP Richard Dyer-Bennet 1, (1955). The song became popular again in the 1960s, when it was recorded by The Clancy Brothers. It has since been recorded by numerous artists, including

The Dubliners The Dubliners were an Folk music of Ireland, Irish folk band founded in Dublin in 1962 as The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group, named after its founding member; they subsequently renamed themselves The Dubliners. The line-up saw many changes in personn ...

, Cherish The Ladies, Omnia,

Screaming Orphans Screaming Orphans are a Pop and folk band from Bundoran, County Donegal, Ireland. The band consists of the four Diver sisters – Joan, Angela, Gràinne and Marie Thérèse. The group combines their own original melodic old-school pop songs wit ...

, Jim McCann,

Harry O'Donoghue Harry O'Donoghue is an Irish musician. Childhood Harry was born in 1954 in the town of Drogheda on the banks of the river Boyne on the East coast of Ireland. Early career At age twenty, Harry began playing guitar and bodhran and was soon pe ...

, and The Wolfe Tones. The song is also sung in the first episode of the BBC series '' Days of Hope'', written by Jim Allen and directed by Ken Loach. An Irish barmaid is forced to sing after being sexually harassed by British soldiers and impresses them with her song.

Lyrics

'Twas down by the glenside, I met an old woman A-plucking young nettles, she ne’er saw me coming I listened a while to the song she was humming Glory O, Glory O, to the bold Fenian men 'Tis fifty long years since I saw the moon beaming On strong manly forms, on eyes with hope gleaming I see them again, sure, in all my sad dreaming Glory O, Glory O, to the bold Fenian men. When I was a young girl, their marching and drilling Awoke in the glenside sounds awesome and thrilling They loved dear old Ireland, to die they were willing Glory O, Glory O, to the bold Fenian men. Some died by the glenside, some died near a stranger And wise men have told us their cause was a failure But they stood by old Ireland and never feared danger Glory O, Glory O, to the bold Fenian men I passed on my way, God be praised that I met her Be life long or short, sure I'll never forget her We may have brave men, but we'll never have better Glory O, Glory O, to the bold Fenian men

References

{{Authority control Irish Republican Brotherhood Irish songs Irish rebel songs