The Big Fellah
Encyclopedia
The Big Fellah is a song by Irish-American folk rock
band Black 47
. It was the first track on their album Home of the Brave
, released in 1994. It details the political career of Irish politician and soldier Michael Collins
, nicknamed "The Big Fellah." The song begins in the GPO
and ends with Collins' death at Béal na mBláth
. It is written from the viewpoint of an Irish republican soldier against the Anglo-Irish Treaty
.
The lyrics are written and sung by Larry Kirwan
. They begin with a stanza in Irish Gaelic
, sung by Mary Martello.
The song was featured at the beginning of the episode "Lochan Mor" of Sons of Anarchy
.
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band Black 47
Black 47
Black 47 are a New York City based celtic rock band with Irish Republican sympathies, whose music also shows influence from reggae, hip hop, folk and jazz...
. It was the first track on their album Home of the Brave
Home of the Brave
Home of the Brave, a phrase from "The Star Spangled Banner", may refer to:In film:* Home of the Brave , a film directed by Mark Robson* Home of the Brave , a concert film featuring and directed by Laurie Anderson...
, released in 1994. It details the political career of Irish politician and soldier Michael Collins
Michael Collins (Irish leader)
Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...
, nicknamed "The Big Fellah." The song begins in the GPO
GPO
-Organisations:*General Post Office **General Post Office UK*German Patent Office, *United States Government Printing Office, a federal government agency*Green Party of Ontario, a policial party in Ontario, Canada...
and ends with Collins' death at Béal na mBláth
Béal na mBláth
Béal na mBláth, officially Béal Átha na Bláiche , is a small village in County Cork, Ireland. Both Bláth or Bláiche are variations of the word bláthach, meaning literally "flowery" or "floral", or in this case "buttermilk"....
. It is written from the viewpoint of an Irish republican soldier against the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
.
The lyrics are written and sung by Larry Kirwan
Larry Kirwan
Larry Kirwan is an expatriate Irish writer and musician, most noted as the lead singer for the New York based Irish rock band, Black 47....
. They begin with a stanza in Irish Gaelic
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
, sung by Mary Martello.
The song was featured at the beginning of the episode "Lochan Mor" of Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy is an American television drama series created by Kurt Sutter about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in Northern California...
.