Clifford, As to when to sing an Irish political song, it is best to learn all you can about the civil rights struggle in the nation of your heritage. Once you know enough, you will be comfortable singing music about that struggle. Come out you black and tans, was written by Dominic Behan, Brendan Behans brother, who wrote a number of great songs about republicanism from the perspective of someone from the slums of Dublin, Rathfarnam, I believe. As to the present turn of events in Ireland, should Irish people ever have reason to forgive, which hopefully now that the war in Ireland no longer serves NATOs need to keep a nonaligned nation in termoil, that time to forgive may soon be at hand, but it is always a bad idea to forget. We have forgotten much of the lesson of peoples music in the United States. Arthur Kenoy, a great American progressive lawyer said to me one evening, while we were drinking Burbon in a bus station bar, Larry, the civil rights movement in America ended the day we stopped singing. All the best, Cliff, feel free to write and ask about Irish history, (I also play the Uilleann pipes - by the by) Larry at InOBU@AOL.COM