Roll of Honour 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 ...
by the Irish rebel band, the Irish Brigade. It commemorates the ten
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 ...
and
INLA volunteers who died during the
1981 Irish hunger strike
The 1981 Irish hunger strike was the culmination of a five-year protest during the Troubles by Irish republicanism, Irish republican prisoners in Northern Ireland. The protest began as the blanket protest in 1976, when the British government ...
in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. It was written by Gerry O'Glacain,
and was released on the band's 1983 album of the same name.
The strikers are listed in the order of their death and described as being "Ireland’s bravest men". The song ends with the call to "Fight on and make our homeland a nation once again".
In 2014 the song entered the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
at number 33, remaining in the chart for one week.
Legislation
Since the enactment of the
, singing Roll of Honour at
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
football matches by some supporters of
Celtic F.C.
The Celtic Football Club, commonly known as Celtic (), is a Scottish professional football club based in Glasgow, which plays in the Scottish Premiership. The club was founded in 1887 with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the immigran ...
has led to arrests and convictions for singing "a song in support of a proscribed terrorist organisation". However some prosecutions have resulted in acquittals with one
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
stating "If they can proscribe a list of songs which people are banned from singing, they will find the courts are full and the football grounds are empty."
The
Green Brigade
The Green Brigade are a Celtic F.C. supporter ultra group formed in 2006. They are situated in the North Curve corner section of Celtic Park.
Controversy
At a match against Dundee United in November 2010, there was serious disorder in the s ...
group of Celtic fans believe that the 2012 Act is "a ridiculous piece of legislation" which has resulted in "expressions of Irish identity, culture and politics being deemed illegal" and highlighted the hypocrisy of the legislation at the Celtic game on 23 November 2013: while ‘Roll of Honour’ was being sung, banners were displayed containing the lyric from the
Scottish national anthem: ‘they fought and died for; their wee bit hill and glen’.
In December 2013, seven members of the Green Brigade appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the charge of having behaved in a way that "is likely or would be likely to incite public disorder" by singing the Roll of Honour 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 also ...
, with trial set for June 2014. In April 2015 two men were initially convicted of charges surrounding the singing of the pro-IRA song at a match between Hibs and Celtic at Easter Road on 19 October 2013.
The 2012
BFAct was subsequently unceremoniously repealed as being unworkable & targeted against the working class by a majority vote in the Scottish Parliament.
See also
*
Billy Boys
"Billy Boys", also titled "The Billy Boys", is a loyalist song from Glasgow, sung to the tune of "Marching Through Georgia." It originated in the 1920s as the signature song of one of the Glasgow razor gangs led by Billy Fullerton and later be ...
*
Famine Song
*
The Boys of the Old Brigade
The Boys of the Old Brigade is an Irish rebel song written by Paddy McGuigan about the Irish Republican Army of the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921), and the anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.
Lyrics
The song describes a veteran of th ...
References
External links
The Players Brigade cover of Gerry O'Glacain's Roll of Honour
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Culture of Northern Ireland
Celtic F.C. songs
Irish songs
Football songs and chants