Please name Irish rebels in a song

Subject: Please name Irish rebels in a song
From: Wolfgang Hell
Date: 26 Nov 98 - 09:27 AM

Fellow mudcatter AndreasW and I are making a collaborative (actually he does nearly all of the work with a little help from me) effort to transcribe most if not all of the 50 Irish Rebel Songs on the eponymous CD. You'll profit from that enterprise later. Many of the songs have names in them. Often it's possible to get them correct (the ten hungerstrikers, the three shot in Gibraltar, etc.), for the event described is covered some place on the net. But there's one song with too many misses and we need help from someone having the cultural background to know the names. Here's the relevant bit of the song
Ireland's fight for freedom (my comments in parentheses)

We (= the North) gave to Ireland Noin Rowe (???)
we gave them Shane O'Neill (a 16. century Ulster chieftain?)
and Thomas Cathill/Cahill (the writer?) made a vow
that England still would yield.
May Calvey?? (or: McElwee, the hungerstriker??) did not die in vain
he was a northern gale.

McCracken (a 1798 rebel) came from Belfast town
McCauley/McAuley/McCauly (??) from the Bann,
and brave Henry Monroe at Ballinahinch (1798)
fought for his native land
Tom Williams died on scaffolds high
his name shall never fail.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Please name Irish rebels in a song
From:
Date: 26 Nov 98 - 09:35 AM

Just two ideas:
We gave to Ireland Owen Roe (O'Neill) ?
(Roddy) McCorley from the Bann ?
I'll try and find out more from 'Ireland Since the Famine' - Susanne

Subject: RE: Please name Irish rebels in a song
From: AndreasW
Date: 26 Nov 98 - 09:39 AM

Although I second the request for help in our project
of getting all the lyrics for those 50 songs
I can't let it stand here that I did most of the work.
While I was working offline (listening and typing in the lyrics, or better what I thought I heard as lyrics)
Wolfgang did lots of researches on the web.

Please help the two of us in completing the song!
Thanks to all in advance!
Andreas

Subject: RE: Please name Irish rebels in a song
From: Wolfgang
Date: 26 Nov 98 - 09:47 AM

Two hits, Susanne, I'd say. I should have thought of McCorley but I never would have found Owen Roe. Both fit perfectly in that sample of men. Thanks
Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Please name Irish rebels in a song
From: Brack&
Date: 26 Nov 98 - 05:02 PM

First is Owen Roe as mentioned in "Will You Come To The Bower"

You can visit Benburb and the storied Blackwater
Where Owen Roe met Munroe and his chieftains did slaughter

And Tone at Cave Hill made a vow etc.....

Joseph McKelvey was executed in the civil war (December 1922)

Roddy McCorley

I think that's it.
Regards Mick Bracken

Subject: RE: Please name Irish rebels in a song
From: AndreasW
Date: 27 Nov 98 - 02:58 AM

I'm ashamed. I should have known about Owen Roe and Roddy McCorley because I wrote down the lyrics of "Will You Come To The Bower" and "Roddy McCorley" not too long ago...
But I am getting older and more forgetful every day, going heavy on to 33...
Thanks Susanne and Mick!

Subject: Lyr Add: IRELAND'S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM
From: Wolfgang
Date: 27 Nov 98 - 09:02 AM

Yes, Mick, thanks, I think that's it. I tried on the web McElwee, McCalvy, McCalvey, McCalwey etc. and never thought of the "K" as a possibility. And I wouldn't have recognized Tone without the "Wolfe".

As our thank you, here's all of it, transcribed by Andreas (and me) from 50 Complete Irish Rebel Songs (I always wonder about the "Complete" in the title of that CD). Northern gale possibly could be northern Gael and the chorus might start with "and there's the reason. But for these or similar very minor bits I think it's perfect now. The tune sounds familiar to me, but I can't name it.

Wolfgang

IRELAND'S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM

1. In Ireland's fight for freedom, boys,
The North has played her part.
And though her day has not yet come
We never yet lost heart.
We'll keep on fighting 'til the end,
We know we cannot fail

CHORUS: And that's the reason why today
They keep our lads in Crumlin jail.
For England knows and England hates
Our fearless northern gale
And that's another reason why
They keep our lads in Crumlin jail.

2. We gave to Ireland Owen Roe
We gave them Shane O'Neill
And Tone at Cave Hill made a vow
That England still would yield.
McKelvey did not die in vain
He was a northern gale.

3. McCracken came from Belfast town
McCorley from the Bann,
And brave Henry Monroe at Ballinahinch
Fought for his native land
Tom Williams died on scaffolds high
His name shall never fail.

Subject: RE: Please name Irish rebels in a song
From: Bobby Bob, Ellan Vannin
Date: 28 Nov 98 - 06:22 AM

He was a Northern Gael (?)

Subject: RE: Please name Irish rebels in a song
From: Wolfgang
Date: 04 Dec 98 - 06:05 AM

gael: esp. Gaelic speaking person, sometimes used for "Irishman".
northern gale makes more sense for me, but couldn't northern gael be an unusaul description for an Irishman from the Morth?

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Please name Irish rebels in a song
From:
Date: 04 Dec 98 - 11:54 AM

O'Hannlon ( the Patriot game) James Connolly (The Patriot game, James Connolly, Grace) Padraig Pearse (garce) Sean South (Sean South) James Plunkett, Padraig Pearse and Wolfe Tone (Sean South) Padraig Pearse, Cathal Brugh (Foggy Dew) Kevin Barry (Kevin Barry) Patrick Sarsfield (Jackets green)