I spoke to my father tonight and carefully checked with him all the details that I am writing here. According to my father his uncle; Peter Ellis of Crydon Park, Marino in Dublin wrote it, and my grandfather Christy Russell was the first person to sing 'Kevin Barry'.

My father whose name is Michael is 83 years of age, he was born in 1921. His father Christopher Russell (my grandfather) was a good singer, a trade unionist and a republican sympathiser and it was he that gave this information to my father. Peter Ellis worked in the GPO in Dublin and was in the habit of writing songs of topical interest. Peter did not have a good singing voice and he would have Christy sing each song so that they could hear how it would come across.

On the evening of the day of Kevin Barry's execution Peter came to Christy with the song written out and he hummed the air until Christy got the jist. He had Christy sing the song a number times until he was satisfied that it hung together. The song took off like wildfire and within a few weeks it was being sung in every republican house and pub in Ireland, it became part of the National heritage and tradition.

Peter did not copyright the words and his creative streak was never recognised. My father said that Peter did not seem to regret this but was happy to have his work performed as 'traditional' and anonymous.

Fergus