The Boys of the Old Brigade 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

Paddy McGuigan Patrick Joseph McGuigan (8 December 1939 – 17 March 2014), known as Paddy Joe McGuigan, was an Irish traditional musician and songwriter who played for some years with The Barleycorn folk group. He wrote a number of well-known Irish rebel songs ...

about the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

of the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...

(1919-1921), and the anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.

Lyrics

The song describes a veteran of the

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 ...

telling a young man about his old comrades in the

. Each chorus ends with the

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

phrase "''a ghrá mo chroí'' (love of my heart), I long to see, the Boys of the Old Brigade". Oh, father why are you so sad
On this bright Easter morn'
When Irish men are proud and glad
Of the land that they were born?!
Oh, son, I see in mem’ries few
Of far off distant days
When being just a lad like you
I joined the IRA Where are the lads that stood with me
When history was made?
A Ghra Mo Chroi, I long to see
The boys of the old brigade From hills and farms a call to arms
Was heard by one and all
And from the glen came brave young men
To answer Ireland’s call
'T wasn’t long ago we faced a foe
The old brigade and me
And by my side they fought and died
That Ireland might be free Where are the lads that stood with me
When history was made?
A Ghra Mo Chroi, I long to see
The boys of the old brigade And now, my boy, I’ve told you why
On Easter morn' I sigh
For I recall my comrades all
And dark old days gone by
I think of men who fought in glen
With rifle and grenade
May heaven keep the men who sleep
From the ranks of the old brigade Where are the lads that stood with me
When history was made?
A Ghra Mo Chroi, I long to see
The boys of the old brigade

Controversy

In 2006,

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

chief executive Peter Lawwell suggested that he was embarrassed by "offensive" chants in support of the

Provisional IRA The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, fa ...

, even though these songs were political and not "overtly sectarian". In 2007, Celtic chairman Brian Quinn suggested that the "Boys of the Old Brigade" had no place at

Celtic Park Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is al ...

. In 2008,

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

abandoned an investigation into Celtic supporters singing the "Boys of the Old Brigade" due to lack of evidence. In April 2011,

Strathclyde Police Strathclyde Police was the territorial police force responsible for the Scottish council areas of Argyll and Bute, City of Glasgow, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfre ...

chief superintendent, Andy Bates, warned that as part of a crackdown on sectarian singing at an upcoming

Old Firm The Old Firm is the collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are by far the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply em ...

game: "If you sing the Boys of the Old Brigade, we'll arrest you and there have been convictions in court before where that song is concerned." BBC Sportscene's Rob MacLean accused Celtic supporters of being sectarian for singing the song in May 2011. In 2011, a Scottish court suggested that those showing support to the IRA were not being offensive to members of "a religious group".

References

External links

Wolfe Tones cover of Pat McGuigan's Republican song
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boys of the Old Brigade, The Irish songs Irish rebel songs Celtic F.C. songs Football songs and chants Songs written by Paddy McGuigan Year of song missing