'Erin go Bragh', aka, 'A Row in the Town', it's original title, was written by Peadar Kearney, who also wrote, 'The Soldier's Song', the national anthem of Ireland.

Kearney fought in the 1916 rebellion, spent time on the run and in internment. His 'big Mauser bullets' was based on hard experience.

He was a gentle, idealistic patriot who died in poverty in 1942. Check the views of his nephew Dominic Behan on the subject.