It often seems that the biggest fans of 'rebel songs' are in
fact drunken Irish Americans. I suppose it's a bit more amusing
when it isn't your kids getting shot and blown up.

There are 'Irish' music groups (usually patterned after the
Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem) who've done quite a good trade
in this, usually in city pubs with names like 'The Shamrock' and
'O'Neills' etc. where they serve up stews and fish and chips
and 'Irish Coffee' with some sort of green syrup on top of the
whipped cream.

Unfortunately, they sometimes also seem to have a bumper sticker
reading "26 + 6 = 1" and were given to respond with bank notes
when asked to donate money to provide weapons and explosives to
the Provos.

I believe there is truly a connection between 'happy war songs
and sad love songs,' when the former are given without explanation
or any sense of just how terrible 'The Troubles' were and are.
'Roddy McCorley' and 'The Foggy Dew' are all well and good, but
they all too often inspired the sending of blood money over to
perpetuate terrible violence.

Like a rifle, a song must be used very carefully.