The Patriot Game
Encyclopedia
"The Patriot Game" is an Irish ballad about an incident during the Border Campaign
launched by the Irish Republican Army during the 1950s to bring about the reunification of Northern Ireland
with the Republic of Ireland
. It was written by Dominic Behan
, younger brother of playwright Brendan Behan
, to the tune of an earlier folksong, "The Merry Month of May". It tells the story of Fergal O'Hanlon
, an IRA Volunteer from Ballybay
, County Monaghan
who was killed at the age of 20 in an attack on Brookeborough
Royal Ulster Constabulary
barracks in County Fermanagh
on 1 January 1957. The operation was devised and led by Sean Garland
, an IRA man from Dublin. Another volunteer, Seán South
from Limerick
, was also killed during the raid.
Behan later became close friends with Sean Garland, officiating as the best man at Garland's wedding. Garland gave the eulogy at Behan's funeral in 1989.
The song is one of the best known to emerge from the Irish nationalist struggle and has been immensely popular amongst the IRA
, as well as other groups. "The Patriot Game" has been recorded by numerous artists, including the Kingston Trio, The Bluebells
, The Dubliners
and The Clancy Brothers
. It also appears on the Judy Collins LP Whales and Nightingales.
allegedly used the tune when writing his song "With God on Our Side
". Behan called Dylan a plagiarist and a thief by claiming the melody as an original composition, in an apparent attempt to goad him into a lawsuit. Behan's argument has some merit, especially when one compares the structure of the song's lyrics; it becomes clear that Dylan lifted the structure of Behan's song to make the song relevant in America during the Vietnam War
era. Dylan's refusal to credit Behan's lyrical structure was the main issue at hand, and in response, Behan took the view that the provenance of Dylan's entire body of work must be questioned. Ironically, Behan exercised the same folk tradition as Dylan in writing the song, having himself borrowed the tune from the traditional "The Merry Month of May".
Behan also took issue with the Clancy Brothers, who chose not to sing the verses which sanctioned the murders of Irish police officers or which criticized Éamon de Valera
:
Behan's contempt of the Clancy Brothers was exacerbated by what he saw as their political shallowness which tended to render the traditional message of the Irish ballad somewhat less powerful in their hands.
's 1987 novel Patriot Games
and the 1992 film
based on the novel are named for the song.
The song features heavily in Martin McDonagh
's play The Lieutenant of Inishmore
, where it is used to comment on the character's misunderstanding of IRA splinter groups.
The song "Colony" by Damien Dempsey
references the title of the song:
The title was also used as the title of a 1986 book The Patriot Game
by Canadian author Peter Brimelow
. The book evokes the same cynicism about nationalism, but in a Canadian context.
Border Campaign (IRA)
The Border Campaign was a campaign of guerrilla warfare carried out by the Irish Republican Army against targets in Northern Ireland, with the aim of overthrowing British rule there and creating a united Ireland.Popularly referred to as the Border Campaign, it was also referred to as the...
launched by the Irish Republican Army during the 1950s to bring about the reunification of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
with the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It was written by Dominic Behan
Dominic Behan
Dominic Behan was an Irish songwriter, short story writer, novelist and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. He was also a committed socialist and Irish Republican...
, younger brother of playwright Brendan Behan
Brendan Behan
Brendan Francis Behan was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. He was also an Irish republican and a volunteer in the Irish Republican Army.-Early life:...
, to the tune of an earlier folksong, "The Merry Month of May". It tells the story of Fergal O'Hanlon
Fergal O'Hanlon
Feargal O'Hanlon Feargal O'Hanlon Feargal O'Hanlon (Irish: Feargal Ó hAnnluain (b. 2 February 1936, Ballybay, County Monaghan, Ireland – d. 1 January 1957, Brookeborough, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland) was a member/volunteer in the Pearse Column of the Irish Republican Army....
, an IRA Volunteer from Ballybay
Ballybay
Ballybay, County Monaghan is a town in County Monaghan in Ireland, centered on the crossroads of the R183 and R162 regional roads. The name in English means "The Mouth of the Ford of the Birches".- Town layout :...
, County Monaghan
County Monaghan
County Monaghan is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Council is the local authority for the county...
who was killed at the age of 20 in an attack on Brookeborough
Brookeborough
Brookeborough is a village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It lies between Enniskillen and Belfast just off the A4 trunk road, about five miles from the County Tyrone boundary....
Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
barracks in County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
on 1 January 1957. The operation was devised and led by Sean Garland
Seán Garland
Seán Garland is a former President of the Workers' Party in Ireland.-Early Life:Born at Belvedere Place, off Mountjoy Square in Dublin, Garland joined the Irish Republican Army in 1953. In 1954, he briefly joined the British Army as an IRA agent and collected intelligence on Gough Barracks in...
, an IRA man from Dublin. Another volunteer, Seán South
Seán South
Seán South was a member of an IRA military column led by Sean Garland on a raid against a Royal Ulster Constabulary barracks in Brookeborough, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland on New Year's Day, 1957...
from Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, was also killed during the raid.
Behan later became close friends with Sean Garland, officiating as the best man at Garland's wedding. Garland gave the eulogy at Behan's funeral in 1989.
The song is one of the best known to emerge from the Irish nationalist struggle and has been immensely popular amongst the IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
, as well as other groups. "The Patriot Game" has been recorded by numerous artists, including the Kingston Trio, The Bluebells
The Bluebells
The Bluebells were a Scottish pop group in the 1980s.-Career:The Bluebells performed jangly guitar based pop not dissimilar to their Scottish contemporaries Aztec Camera and Orange Juice. They had three Top 40 hit singles in the UK, all written by guitarist and founder member Bobby Bluebell - "I'm...
, The Dubliners
The Dubliners
The Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962.-Formation and history:The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin...
and The Clancy Brothers
The Clancy Brothers
The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music singing group, most popular in the 1960s, they were famed for their woolly Aran jumpers and are widely credited with popularizing Irish traditional music in the United States. The brothers were Patrick "Paddy" Clancy, Tom Clancy, Bobby Clancy...
. It also appears on the Judy Collins LP Whales and Nightingales.
Controversies
Bob DylanBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
allegedly used the tune when writing his song "With God on Our Side
With God on Our Side
"With God on Our Side" is a song by Bob Dylan, released as the third track on his 1964 album The Times They Are A-Changin. Dylan first performed the song during his debut at The Town Hall in New York City on April 12, 1963...
". Behan called Dylan a plagiarist and a thief by claiming the melody as an original composition, in an apparent attempt to goad him into a lawsuit. Behan's argument has some merit, especially when one compares the structure of the song's lyrics; it becomes clear that Dylan lifted the structure of Behan's song to make the song relevant in America during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
era. Dylan's refusal to credit Behan's lyrical structure was the main issue at hand, and in response, Behan took the view that the provenance of Dylan's entire body of work must be questioned. Ironically, Behan exercised the same folk tradition as Dylan in writing the song, having himself borrowed the tune from the traditional "The Merry Month of May".
Behan also took issue with the Clancy Brothers, who chose not to sing the verses which sanctioned the murders of Irish police officers or which criticized Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
:
This Ireland of mine has for long been half free,
Six counties are under John BullJohn BullJohn Bull is a national personification of Britain in general and England in particular, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is usually depicted as a stout, middle-aged man, often wearing a Union Flag waistcoat.-Origin:...
's tyranny.
And still de Valera is greatly to blame
For shirking his part in the patriot game.
Behan's contempt of the Clancy Brothers was exacerbated by what he saw as their political shallowness which tended to render the traditional message of the Irish ballad somewhat less powerful in their hands.
Popular culture
American filmmaker Arthur MacCaig named his 1979 documentary after the song, a portrayal of Irish history from a Republican perspective. Tom ClancyTom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
's 1987 novel Patriot Games
Patriot Games
Patriot Games is a novel by Tom Clancy. It is chronologically the first book focusing on CIA analyst Jack Ryan, the main character in almost all of Clancy's novels. It is the indirect sequel to Without Remorse...
and the 1992 film
Patriot Games (film)
Patriot Games is a 1992 film directed by Phillip Noyce and based on Tom Clancy's the novel of the same name. It is a sequel to the 1990 film The Hunt for Red October. In the movie, Jack Ryan is played by Harrison Ford, Jack's surgeon-wife, Dr...
based on the novel are named for the song.
The song features heavily in Martin McDonagh
Martin McDonagh
Martin McDonagh is an Irish-British playwright, filmmaker, and screenwriter. Although he has lived in London his entire life, he is considered one of the most important living Irish playwrights.-Life:...
's play The Lieutenant of Inishmore
The Lieutenant of Inishmore
The Lieutenant of Inishmore is a black comedy by playwright Martin McDonagh, first produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company in London in 2001.-Plot:...
, where it is used to comment on the character's misunderstanding of IRA splinter groups.
The song "Colony" by Damien Dempsey
Damien Dempsey
Damien Dempsey is an Irish singer and songwriter who mixes traditional Irish folk with contemporary lyrics to deliver social comment on the positive and negative aspects arising from Ireland's Celtic Tiger society.-Early life:...
references the title of the song:
Katie she came from down Townsend street,
Ten in a bed and no shoes on their feet,
1916 came,
They played the patriot's game,
The title was also used as the title of a 1986 book The Patriot Game
The Patriot Game (book)
The Patriot Game: National Dreams and Political Realities is a book originally published in 1986 by British-American author Peter Brimelow. It was later re-released in 1988 under the title The Patriot Game: Canada and the Canadian Question RevisitedThe book consists of Brimelow's self-described...
by Canadian author Peter Brimelow
Peter Brimelow
Peter Brimelow is a British American financial journalist, author, and founder of VDARE. Brimelow has been the editor of many publications, including Forbes, the Financial Post, and National Review...
. The book evokes the same cynicism about nationalism, but in a Canadian context.
Video footage
- Dominic Behan's performance for the radio
- From Dominic Behan's album "Easter Week and After"
- The Dubliner's Rendition