Whatever about older versions ,the sentiment of the song as we know it today is entirely anti war -or more accurately anti- recruitment as Jim wrote .Could you point out where in the song -or in the older version - you see an attack on the Irish and those maimed in the Napoleonic Wars ? The song sympathises with an Irish mother who was angry about her son losing his legs during a war and is a warning to other young men of the dangers of enlisting for the sake of a fancy uniform .Songs like Arthur McBride and Pat Reilly have similar messages.