"The Boys of Wexford" (also known as ''The Flight of the Earls'') is an Irish
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
commemorating the
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a republican revolutionary group influenced ...
and, more specifically, the
Wexford Rebellion
The Wexford Rebellion refers to the outbreak in County Wexford, Ireland in May 1798 of the Society of United Irishmen's rebellion against the British rule. It was the most successful and most destructive of all the uprisings that occurred throu ...
. The aim of rebellion was to remove English control from Irish affairs and it resulted in the 1801 Act of Union.
History
The ballad was lyrics were composed by
Robert Dwyer Joyce["The Boys of Wexford" (arr. Nestico), Ludwig Masters Publications]
/ref> and music by Arthur Warren Darley
Arthur Warren Darley (19 June 1873 – 19 December 1929) was an Irish violinist, folksong collector, music teacher and adjudicator as well as a traditional music archivist. As a violinist (or " fiddler") he was equally at home in classical music a ...
, who also composed other Wexford ballads, " Boolavogue" and "Kelly the Boy from Killanne
Kelly may refer to:
Art and entertainment
* Kelly (Kelly Price album)
* Kelly (Andrea Faustini album)
* ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap
* "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland
* ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadia ...
".
On the Isle of Man, the tune is known as ''Yn Speigh Er My Gealin'' (The Pick On My Shoulder).
Popular Culture
In James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses,'' in the Circe episode, a navvy shouts, "We are the boys. Of Wexford."
JFK
On the second day of President John F Kennedy's four-day trip to Ireland in June 1963, school children sang ''The Boys of Wexford'' and ''Kelly the Boy from Killanne'' for the President.
/ref>
The melody, from a traditional Irish folk song, was arranged for the United States Marine Band at the request of President Kennedy, whose ancestors hailed from Wexford. The arrangement was done by noted composer and arranger Samuel L. Nestico.[
The tune, orchestrated by Nelson Riddle, was later used for the opening and closing theme of the 1964 television series ]Profiles in Courage
''Profiles in Courage'' is a 1956 volume of short biographies describing acts of bravery and integrity by eight United States Senators. The book profiles senators who defied the opinions of their party and constituents to do what they felt was ...
, based on Kennedy's book of the same name.
The song also held a prominent place in the political rallies of his younger brother, Senator Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...
.
Recordings
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 ...
recorded the song on their debut 1965 album '' The Foggy Dew''. Irish folk group, The Clancy Brothers
The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music group that developed initially as a part of the American folk music revival. Most popular during the 1960s, they were famed for their Aran jumper sweaters and are widely credited with popu ...
, also recorded "The Boys of Wexford" on the 1995 album, '' Older But No Wiser''.
References
External links
Ballads
Irish folk songs
Ballads of the Irish Rebellion of 1798
Year of song missing
Songs written by Patrick Joseph McCall
19th-century songs
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