The Wolfe Tones

JP Liz V1

Apologies if a thread already but why is it so wrong to enjoy their shows and music, EP audience enjoyed them

They sing about Ireland, the good and bad

Their songs are used as footie anthems

Plenty music artists sing about real and controversial issues

buried

The FG infested Irish establishment never got over the fact that we didn't want to commemorate the murderous black and tans back in their commemorative 2020 event like they foolishly expected us to.

That's what the problem is.

retalivity

The Joe Duffy/RTE /Indo/Newstalk heads having conniptions this morning was hilarious.

Leg End Reject

Anyone offended by The Wolfe Tones needs to take a serious look at their life and their sensibilities.

lmk123

It’s just fools that want to be offended by everything, if people listened to lyrics from modern songs / music I think they’d find them much worse, however, those songs are probably considered empowering or some other shite

hynesie08

Joe Duffy was right though, Celtic symphony is a shite song.

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121069695#Comment_121069695

It's not great, but it's got a very catchy chorus.

hynesie08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121069710#Comment_121069710

It's lazy lazy songwriting with a chant in the middle, if it wasn't for the chant it would never be played live.

NIMAN

I never say music is Sh1te.

It's a very subjective thing, like art etc.

Music I dislike, others will like, but it's not sh1te just because I don't like it.

I'm not mad on Daniel O'Donnell, Westlife or Ed Sheeran. But they all have huge fan bases, so a lot of people like them.

I'm not a Wolfe Tones fan, but that record EP crowd standing inside and outside that tent weren't there cos they dislike them. They must have some appeal.

Atlantic Dawn

They should modernise and write some new songs about the banks and how they corrupted the country 😁

buried

The likes of Newstalk/RTE/FG/Irish independent should just write their own versions of traditional songs if they don't like The Wolfe Tones versions

"Come out ye Black and tans and tie my poor Grandmother by her hair to the back of your splendid armoured truck and go full speed down the road until she becomes part of the asphalt"

Then the 8 of them can go to electric picnic and bounce to that

timmyntc

"Something something sinn Fein/IRA, Jean mcconville, my grandfather didnt fight in the RIC for the modern oirish people to be dancing on his grave listening to Fenian music, 'good' Republicans, the British werent that bad the Catholics brought it on themselves" etc etc

I think that about covers all the hand wringing in response to people liking the Wolfe tones

Polar101

Was anyone actually offended by this, or was it just "I bet some people will be offended by this"? I'm not going to listen to Joe Duffy just to find out.

Faugheen

I know absolutely nobody who was upset by this. The likes of the Indo and Newstalk remembered the controversy of the women’s team singing ‘oo ah up the ‘ra’ after they qualified for the World Cup and just wanted to go in on Celtic Symphony again to piss people off.

Thats what a lot of the Irish media is. It’s just creating hit points to whip people up into a frenzy when realistically most people don’t actually give a sh*t.

They're like internet trolls. They only reason they do it is because people react to it. If people ignored it everytime it was brought up then I would guarantee you they wouldn’t touch it again, because all they want is engagement, clicks and to generate outrage either for or against them.

Its an absolutely sh*te song anyway.

standardg60

I'm gobsmacked that security services aren't on high alert given the amount of people who attended and chanted the slogan.

ErnestBorgnine

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121069680#Comment_121069680

Only offended by how shite they are

SEPT 23 1989

No fan of Sinn Fein and all things republican but when they get into power the Irish establishment and their mouthpieces will go all out attack

the attack on them will make the treatment of Trump in the media seem fair and balanced

it will be very entertaining

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121070178#Comment_121070178

More entertaining than Sinn Fein realizing it’s easier to criticize than govern. But I suppose that will be because of post colonial something something.

HalloweenJack

As long as part of this island is part of the UK, I can't see how their music will become less popular.

It's easier for us in the Republic to move on but there are plenty of Irish citizens who are still affected on a daily basis by the role of the British government in this country's history.

Everlong1

I'm no snowflake. I grew up in the late 70's and early '80's when the Provos and their "campaign" were dragging my country's name in the gutter on a weekly basis. I have no time for anyone trying to glorify an organisation responsible, on a regular basis, for blowing up pregnant women, children, old age pensioners and other innocents out shopping on a Saturday afternoon. I wonder how many of the hipster kids chanting Up the Ra at EP had even the faintest idea what they were singing about ?

There are still a small hardcore of thugs in this country who want to go back to the "good old days" of "legitimate targets" as evidenced by the recent attacks on Catholic PSNI members. I'm sure they must be delighted at the idea that there's a new generation of kids who can be conned into thinking that the Provos were all romantic idealistic freedom fighters.

Str8outtaWuhan

We most be the only country in the world guilted for singing songs about 800 years of oppression and exile.

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121070599#Comment_121070599

"I'm no snowflake"

<Proceeds to get offended by a song>

Thelonious Monk

Some people don't think we should be chanting things that glorify the provisional IRA, most people don't give a sh*t. Young men get a kick out of that kind of thing and I'd imagine that's what the crowd was mostly made up of. You couldn't pay me personally to sit through one of their concerts but each to their own.

Ashbourne hoop

They've a lot better songs than Celtic Symphony.....

GreeBo

While it might mean nothing to many/most people, the lads waving the tricolour to protest against "dirty, black immigrants" coming into BallyBrack delighted in playing The Wolfe Tones at full volume in support of their cause over the last few weeks.

Are the other terrorist organizations that we like to still sings about?

If you can shout "ooh ah, up the Ra!" but then argue that you dont meant anything by it, what else can you publicly proclaim but then disassociate yourself from its meaning? Maybe a Nazi salute or a white hooded robe?

Danzy

They sing songs about the nation and the national army, even members of the State Army sing their songs.

All a nothing burger .

People enjoying themselves and some people getting angry

whisky_galore

The young ones know how much they annoy the so-called establishment so they'll pile into a Tones set in EP like naughty teens smoking around the bike shed. It's like when punks and bikers wore Swastikas to be super edgy. It's trash drinking music, pub music, the content isn't very technically very good and the message is not too subtle but each to their own.

It's funny when people wail about "banning" their "tradition", songs and stories, but they'll blast a loyalist flute band, a bonfire or a Twelfth parade as sectarian and something that should be banned when a WT concert is pretty much the same thing from the other side of the divide.

Quitelife

The Wolfetones sing of " A Nation once Again " and their dead right.

The leaders of 1916 are turning in their graves we still dont have a United Ireland 100 years & Coounting after they died, Fine Gael would go back under British rule if they had their way, We abandoned the 6 counties of Armagh, Tyrone, Derry etc but the Wolfetones didnt !!

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058312296/the-wolfe-tones

Nothing wrong at all with liking Wolfe Tone ballads if that's your thing. We have personal choice.

Personally as someone with an interest in and who plays Irish trad music, I think they represent the lowest common denominator of Irish music - gutter stuff. But YMMV so carry on :)

Snooker Loopy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121069680#Comment_121069680

That's grand I presume you've no problem with Loyalists singing about Billy Wright or Lenny Murphy or writing "KAT" and putting effigies of a hanged Michelle O'Neill on bonfires so. Presumably it's all just a bit of banter.

The truth is, doing that and chanting "Up The Ra" are two sides of the same coin.

Snooker Loopy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121070746#Comment_121070746

There's a bizarre double think with people who are defending chanting "Up The Ra". I see people claiming "oh it's just a bit of banter, sure none of the people chanting it even remember the Troubles or know much about it".

Yet then the same people turn around and bitch when people are advised to educate themselves about the Troubles and what a grotesque disaster for this island it was. The narrative then becomes "oh, but these people actually DO know their history" (they don't, they know a Disney version lf history that is pushed by Sinn Fein, ie., fake history).

Which is it? Because it can't be both.