"The Island" is a 1985 song by an Irish musician
Paul Brady, who comes from
Strabane
Strabane ( ; ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
Strabane had a population of 13,172 at the 2011 Census. It lies on the east bank of the River Foyle. It is roughly midway from Omagh, Derry and Letterkenny. The River Foyle marks ...
in
County Tyrone.
The song appeared on the album 'Back to the Centre', and features Kenny Craddock on piano. The only other instrument is a guitar solo by Phil Palmer The album was produced by long time Brady collaborator Ian Maidman (later known as
Jennifer Maidman).
The start of the song compares the tragic events of the
Lebanese Civil War with
the Troubles in
Northern Ireland in the 1980s.
Comments are made on activities in Northern Ireland:
"They're rising banners over by the markets /
Whitewashing slogans on the shipyard wall".
"The Markets" is a well known Republican area surrounding
St George's Market
St George's Market is the last surviving Victorian covered market in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is located on May Street, close to the River Lagan and the Waterfront Hall. Belfast Corporation (now Belfast City Council) commissioned the buil ...
in
Belfast, and the shipyard is that of
Harland and Wolff in East Belfast, near a Loyalist area. The song then compares the peace and serenity of making love on the island with the hypocrisy of some religious leaders and the tragedy of young people being "sacrificed" (on both sides) for political beliefs.
The song was referred to pejoratively through a refrain of "the island" in
Christy Moore's song ''The Other Side'', a song in support of those detained in
Long Kesh. However, Christy Moore later toned down the lyrics in this song and rerecorded it in 2011 as ''Tyrone Boys''.
Some claim it was written as a condemnation of the 1987
Remembrance Day Massacre
The Remembrance Day bombing (also known as the Enniskillen bombing or Poppy Day massacre) took place on 8 November 1987 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. A Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb exploded near the town's ...
. This is impossible, of course, as at the time of its recording, the bombings were not to take place for another two years. There are elements of the song, however, which could be construed as Anti-
Terrorism.
References
External links
Newspaper interview with Paul Brady
1985 songs
Paul Brady songs
Songs about Ireland
Songs about The Troubles (Northern Ireland)
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