The following song–covered here by Boston’s own Dropkick Murphy’s–is a traditional one whose origins are disputed. It is similar to the American Civil War song “When Johnny Came Marching Home” and may be a parody of it or the Civil War song may have been a spin-off of this one. There is much discussion on-line and the Mudcat Cafe has a particularly interesting dialogue posted concerning the debate over when this song was first played.

Regardless of the exact place names involved in the original…the message is anti-war. I wanted to post something for St. Patrick’s Day and hopefully this song will remind you of the impact WWI had on the Irish struggle for independence.