©The Irish Brigade

In 1798 we rose against England,

We fought with our pikes but they answered with guns,

We fought them on the mountains, we fought by the rivers,

We knew that if captured we'd be tortured and hung,

From Antrim to Derry, from Wexford to Kerry,

We prayed that our freedom was soon to be won.

[chorus]

Ireland, Ireland long held in chains,

Never defeated we've risen again.

A dark time in Ireland there came a great famine,

The people were starving the rents were too high,

Evictions, then hunger then forced emmigration,

Our people with Typhoid in ditches did die,

The "Young Irelanders" fought back with determination,

That once more in Ireland the green flag would fly.

The Fenians fought both in Ireland and England,

Their leaders were captured, transported for years,

In exile they planned to return and free Ireland,

Rossa then died and at his graveside stood Pearse,

In 1916 the people had risen,

For the age old demands: freedom justice and peace.

The British would not give us full independence,

Partition, division, then came civil war,

Six counties in Ulster are still held in bondage,

The struggle goes on as it did years ago,

Oh let us now sing of Ireland's new heroes,

IRA volunteers who will end this long war.