Oh that takes me back to the school yard.

To be 'fornen up' to someone would be to square up - as two belligerents would face each other.

There were a fair few Irish in Yorkshire where I grew up and a fair few fights too.

If you wanted a tune to sing the words to 'we're all bound for Botany bay' aka 'If I had the wings of a turtle dove' fits it well enough and has a certain regretful air about it that seems apt.