Amhran na bhfiann

Quitelife

Listening to anthems at Ireland A rugby v New Zealand , it was sang a lot better than normal and when its sang right its a uplifting song, Compared to other nations we let ourselves down sometimes with a meek singing of our Anthem .

The worst singing of the Anthem is often at GAA matchs as the impatient crowd break away 3/4 way through whereas to be fair its always sang with great gusto at Ireland Soccer games.

Jim_Hodge

That's a terror.

EmmetSpiceland

Whenever we play away it always seems like it’s played at a slower pace so it’s harder to get away support, and players, up for it.

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058270469/amhran-na-bhfiann

At least in the GAA we dont sing Irelands call. The West Brit anthem.

Count Dracula

The fact that it was translated from English always makes me snigger slightly. It kind of epitomises the nature of the Gaelic revival.

The Bhearna Bhaoil is actually a mountain pass in County Wicklow, but was reinvented as the scene of battle at New Ross in the 1798 rebellion, the truth is out there, whatever takes your fancy. The Gap of danger is the military road that was built by the British army to enable their safe passage through the mountains which since the Battle of Glenmalure were notoriously dangerous and treacherous places for them to travel through being littered and inhabited with gangs of mountain bandits known as The Kern or Kerns which ironically is an Anglicised version of ceithern being groups of savages who lived wild throughout the country. Dangerous wee chunts all said, who basically made a living ransacking local villages and robbing the phuck out of them. Not necessarily in the name of Irish freedom either? They lived hand to mouth in the lands surrounding Mullaghcleavaun across the ridge to Tonlegee and Turlough Hill. They were all convicts who would be arrested and executed or at best killed on sight. Curse and swear Lord Kildare. That ditty was written in English by Paddy McCall in the late 19th century. I actually would prefer it to the soldiers Song, it has better energy. We really missed a trick there in fairness, can you imagine the entire Lansdowne or Croker, or even your local of a Sunday night skipping ditty to " Lift MacCahir Og your face You're brooding o'er you're old disgrace,That black FitzWilliam stormed your place, and sent you to the Fern.

They were both composed in English.

dxhound2005

It gets due respect at Ulster GAA games. Some of the Tyrone and Armagh elements might get a bit uncivil subsequently, but they know the correct protocol for the anthem.

Furze99

Speaking as someone who likes a bit of trad and is sometimes asked to play Amhrán na bhFiann. It's a dirge of a tune, played more often than not like a funeral march. Yes, it can be played in a quicker, more up tempo way but that might be verging on disrespect.

Personally I dislike it and if we are going to look for new arrangements on the island, we should seize the opportunity to retire Amhrán na bhFiann and come up with something more generally uplifting. And not the likes of the Fields of Athenry, another awful dirge. The rugby anthem is well enough known both sides but it's very twee and a bit cringey to put it mildly. Danny Boy to the Derry or Londonderry Air as you prefer is a strong option, though a work around would be needed for the high note.

Thelonious Monk

Never liked it, the Oz/NZ ones are even worse. We should have used The Minstrel Boy as our anthem, total banger.

dxhound2005

It gets played often by pipe bands, and it seems to be a bit tricky. I think they would struggle with Danny Boy.

Count Dracula

Danny Boy would have been cancelled by the woke crowd.

Too much crossing glens and down valley sides... that's before the blatant sexism, they would change it to Daniella Person.

Always thought that Tom Jones classic was a shoe in " its good to touch the gween gweeen gwasssss of ho-um" , St Patrick was Welsh as well.

trashcan

I think it’s a decent tune. My favourite anthems would be the German, Russian and Italian. Have always thought the French is a bit over rated. You wanna talk dirge, just go to our next door neighbour. Awful stuff, and that’s before you even talk about the cringey lyrics.

Dial Hard

Shoving Connie around the green, as my dad refers to it.

Thelonious Monk

I have to change the channel or mute when Ireland's call is on, just makes me cringe, awful stuff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119838172#Comment_119838172

I bet you don't really

cj maxx

I like it Amhran na bhfiann

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119838208#Comment_119838208

you bet wrong

Oranage2

It just seems a bit dated, it's in Latin?, no one speaks that here

thefallingman

Lol west brits giving out but it’s ok for them to sing slave songs, probably the same “Irish” that cried when the English went to croaker. Farcical

I recall , many moons ago , the national anthem being played at the end of the night in niteclubs ( it used to make boyos brave for the ruck at the chipwagon !! ) .

I also used to love the anthem being played at the end of the nights broadcast on RTE . If that didn't make you proud of your country , nothing would , in my opinion .

https://youtu.be/X8Lb0v2YuMs

72sheep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119838172#Comment_119838172

Instant mute for me too. It's so bad I'd go back into a room to mute it if it started playing. Still there's probably a clock ticking somewhere on all these right wing "backward thinking" signs of nationalism.

Wasn't Peter Sutherland, that lovely man from Goldman Sachs, such a true gent ;)

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119836060#Comment_119836060

I dunno - 'You Raise Me Up' is practically a copy of it and very popular too. There was a documentary on 'Danny Boy - the unofficial anthem of Ireland', or something like that a few years ago. Very well known and recognisable - would also keep our American cousins and investors happy!

Count Dracula

air ata vare saoir ata faoi gheal ag eireann

bhíronn dar suil shan ter nor ainig oon

ar ata vare saoir sean tir or sheeensha fasta

ni awkward not faoin tear or not fwain trá

Anocht a haon sa Bhaerna Bhaoli

la galla screa come baás no sceil

le canadg scrae fawon conach nach be late

sea bheag canadh

Arán na Bhfíonn

Gotta love it. I did learn it Scouts though, by heart. A long time ago in a galaxy far far away.

Born to be free.

Some of yiz need to go back on yizzer meds. Just saying.

Larbre34

Only one version of Amhrán na bhFiann is acceptable.

https://youtu.be/X8Lb0v2YuMs

Strumms

As anthems go it’s one of the better ones… La Marseillaise is another good one…I’ve been in the Stade de France a few times to witness it’s rendition and it’s the only one that comes close to ours.

speaking of different arrangements on the island as mentioned above.. is that reference to a potential United Ireland or a more ethnically diverse one ? Maybe we’ll get told to drop it…before unification..

Soldiers are we, whose lives are pledged to Ireland,

Some have come from a land beyond the wave.

Sworn to be free, no more our ancient sireland,

Shall shelter the despot or the slave.

Tonight we man the ‘bearna bhaoil’

In Erin's cause, come woe or weal,

'Mid cannons' roar and rifles peal,

We'll chant a soldier's song.

might not go down well, 🫣😅

Quantum Erasure

Some have come from a land beyond the wave.

I think it's very inclusive, tbh...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119838630#Comment_119838630

There's only one anthem I remember being played at the end of the night on RTE

https://youtu.be/Qeo3KuT1esc

BattleCorp

I'm almost half a century old, I'm Irish, live in Ireland and quite ashamedly don't know the words to my National Anthem, Amhran na bhFiann.

How did I get through school and not be taught this? Nothing stopping me from learning it now though so maybe that'll be my goal for this week. Learn something I should have learned 40+ years ago.

Esel

"Shinners, Fianna Fáil

Are too Fine Gael for Éirinn"

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119843906#Comment_119843906

How did ya manage that - must have been mitching! Practically bet into us in national school - phonetically.

jojofizzio

Never heard it/learned it in primary or secondary school either…had to go away and learn it ourselves

buried

The reason the vast majority of us never learnt Amhrán na bhFiann at school is because the vast majority of us were taught in Vatican Holy See backed Madrasa's. No mention of the Greek affiliated 'Christos' or 'Jesus' in Amhrán na bhFiann, no mention of Egypt either, the National Anthem was all about Ireland, specifically ancient Ireland, so the Vatican can't be having any of that craziness. They wanted you to believe your national Irish heritage came from Egypt 2000 years ago through Greek translations from 400AD that talked about a rouge Rabbi that was crucified over in Jerusalem

dxhound2005

What is sung usually is just the chorus. There are three verses and the chorus.

Jayno66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058270469/amhran-na-bhfiann

It might be sung with great gusto by the crowd at (some) soccer games. But the soccer players have to be the most unenthisiastic group of people to ever sing the anthem. A good chunk of them don't bother, and those who do mumble it under their breaths at best. At least the majority of rugby and GAA players actually sing it, and put a bit of passion into it as well while doing so.

Quantum Erasure

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119847435#Comment_119847435

I don't know about that, this new generation of players seem to at least know the words anyway, whatever about their performance on the pitch...

and then you have the women's team as well

Quitelife

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSeD-8ktBM0

A few years ago and in English but the know the Soliders song well in Glasgow!

BattleCorp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119846913#Comment_119846913

Nope, we weren't taught it as far as my memory serves me. It's possible that I'd forget some words if I was taught it 40 years ago but it's unlikely that I'd actually forget ever having been taught it.

I asked my Mam who is a couple of months shy of 80 years of age this evening if she knew the words to it and she said she didn't and she's pretty sure she was never taught it in school either.