I great modern song set during the Irish famine of the late 19th century. It was written by singer-songwriter Pete St. John in the 1970s, but by far the most successful version has to be this one recorded by Paddy O’Reilly in the ’80s.
The Fields of Athenry
By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young girl calling
Micheal they are taking you away
For you stole Trevelyn’s corn
So the young might see the morn.
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay.
Chorus:
Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
Our love was on the wing we had dreams and songs to sing
It’s so lonely ’round the Fields of Athenry.
By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young man calling
Nothing matters Mary when you’re free,
Against the Famine and the Crown
I rebelled they ran me down
Now you must raise our child with dignity.
Chorus
Song of the Isles 