"God Save Ireland" is an Irish rebel song. It served as an unofficial Irish national anthem

National anthem

A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...

 for Irish nationalist

Irish nationalism

Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...

s from the 1870s to the 1910s. During the Parnellite split it was the anthem of the anti-Parnell

Charles Stewart Parnell

Charles Stewart Parnell was an Irish landowner, nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, and the founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party...

ite Irish National Federation

Irish National Federation

The Irish National Federation was a nationalist political party in Ireland. It was founded in March 1891 by former members of the Irish National League who had left the Irish Parliamentary Party in protest when Charles Stewart Parnell refused to resign the party leadership as a result of his...

.

The song was written by T. D. Sullivan in 1867, and first published December 7 1867, inspired by Edmund O'Meager Condon's speech from the dock when he stood trial along with the three Manchester Martyrs

Manchester Martyrs

The Manchester Martyrs – William Philip Allen, Michael Larkin, and Michael O'Brien – were members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, an organisation dedicated to ending British rule in Ireland. They were executed for the murder of a police officer in Manchester, England, in 1867, during...

 (Michael Larkin, William Phillip Allen, and Michael O'Brien). After the three were executed, the song was adopted as the Fenian

Fenian

The Fenians , both the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood , were fraternal organisations dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic in the 19th and early 20th century. The name "Fenians" was first applied by John O'Mahony to the members of the Irish republican...

 movement's anthem. This song shares its tune with "Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!

Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!

"Tramp! Tramp! Tramp! " was one of the most popular songs of the American Civil War. George F. Root wrote both the words and music and published it in 1864 to give hope to the Union prisoners of war. The song is written from the prisoner's point of view...

 (The Prisoner's Hope)" a song reportedly written in 1864 by George F. Root in response to conditions in the Andersonville Prison

Andersonville prison

The Andersonville prison, officially known as Camp Sumter, served as a Confederate Prisoner-of-war camp during the American Civil War. The site of the prison is now Andersonville National Historic Site in Andersonville, Georgia. Most of the site actually lies in extreme southwestern Macon County,...

, a Confederate

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

 prison during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. This tune is also used in "Jesus Loves the Little Children."

John McCormack, an Irish tenor

Tenor

The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...

 residing in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, had a big hit with the number, making the first of his popular phonograph

Phonograph

The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...

 records of it in 1906. For this reason, he was not welcome in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....

 for several years.

Workers during the Dublin Lockout

Dublin Lockout

The Dublin Lock-out was a major industrial dispute between approximately 20,000 workers and 300 employers which took place in Ireland's capital city of Dublin. The dispute lasted from 26 August 1913 to 18 January 1914, and is often viewed as the most severe and significant industrial dispute in...

 of 1913 adapted the lyrics to "God Save Jim Larkin", after the union leader.

In Sport

The song was sung at football matches

Football chant

A football chant or terrace chant, is a song or chant sung at association football matches. They can be historic, dating back to the formation of the club, adaptations of popular songs, or spontaneous reactions to events on the pitch. They are one of the last remaining sources of an oral folk song...

 by fans of the Republic of Ireland team

Republic of Ireland national football team

The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....

.The melody of the chorus was adapted for Ally's Tartan Army

Ally's Tartan Army

Ally's Tartan Army was a novelty record released by Scottish comedian Andy Cameron on the Klub Records label to mark the Scottish football team's qualification for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. The "Tartan Army" are Scotland's fans; "Ally" was team manager Ally MacLeod...

, the Scotland national football team

Scotland national football team

The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...

's anthem for the FIFA World Cup 1978, this was itself adapted as the chorus of Put 'Em Under Pressure

Put 'Em Under Pressure

"Put 'Em Under Pressure" was the official song to the Ireland national football team's 1990 FIFA World Cup campaign in Italy . It is regarded as "an all-time classic that the entire country knows every single word to, even the spoken words of wisdom from Jack Charlton, it's place in the hearts of...

, the anthem for the Republic of Ireland team for the FIFA World Cup 1990.

Lyrics

High upon the gallows tree swung the noble-hearted three.

By the vengeful tyrant stricken in their bloom;

But they met him face to face, with the courage of their race,

And they went with souls undaunted to their doom.

"God save Ireland!" said the heroes;

"God save Ireland" said they all.

Whether on the scaffold high

Or the battlefield we die,

Oh, what matter when for Erin dear we fall!¹

Girt around with cruel foes, still their courage proudly rose,

For they thought of hearts that loved them far and near;

Of the millions true and brave o'er the ocean's swelling wave,

And the friends in holy Ireland ever dear.

"God save Ireland!" said the heroes;

"God save Ireland" said they all.

Whether on the scaffold high

Or the battlefield we die,

Oh, what matter when for Erin dear we fall!

Climbed they up the rugged stair, rang their voices out in prayer,

Then with England's fatal cord around them cast,

Close beside the gallows tree kissed like brothers lovingly,

True to home and faith and freedom to the last.

"God save Ireland!" said the heroes;

"God save Ireland" said they all.

Whether on the scaffold high

Or the battlefield we die,

Oh, what matter when for Erin dear we fall!

Never till the latest day shall the memory pass away,

Of the gallant lives thus given for our land;

But on the cause must go, amidst joy and weal and woe,

Till we make our Isle a nation free and grand.

"God save Ireland!" said the heroes;

"God save Ireland" said they all.

Whether on the scaffold high

Or the battlefield we die,

Oh, what matter when for Erin dear we fall!

¹Also 'Oh, no matter when for Ireland dear we fall!'