"Amhr n na bhFiann" is the national anthem of the Republic of Ireland ¹. It is also known by the English translation of its title, "A Soldier's Song", as well as as the "National Anthem of Ireland" ("Amhr nta na h ireann"). The lyrics of the song are by Peadar Kearney and the music by both Kearney and Patrick Heeney. It was composed in 1907 and first published in Irish Freedom in 1912.

The song is regarded by many nationalists as the 'national anthem' of the whole island of Ireland, and so, for example, it is sung at Gaelic Athletic Association matches held anywhere on the island. However Unionists reject the use of Amhr n na bhFiann in this way, and so it is "Ireland's Call" that is used as an all-Ireland anthem by the Irish rugby team.

History

"Amhr n na bhFiann" was relatively unknown until it was sung by rebels in the General Post Office (GPO) during the Easter Rising of 1916, and afterwards in British internment camps. The song became the official state anthem in 1926 when it replaced the unofficial anthem "God Save Ireland".

"God Save the King" served as the anthem of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until the independent Irish Free State was established in 1922. The continued use of "God Save the King" by some Irish people caused embarrassment to the new Irish state, and, on one famous occasion, Governor-General James McNeill refused to attend a public function in Trinity College when he discovered that the university intended playing the anthem during his visit.

Even after the adoption of "Amhr n na bhFiann" as the official anthem a minority continued to sing the British anthem, as indeed they continued to pray for the King and Queen in religious ceremonies, right up until the state was declared to be a republic in 1949.

In recent years, a number of Irish newspapers and columnists have proposed replacing "Amhr n na bhFiann" with a new national anthem, arguing that the current wording is excessively militant and anti-British. Others have argued that the melody is difficult for bands to play.

The difficulty of the anthem has often been witnessed at international sporting events, where either the entire song (not just the chorus that is the actual anthem) is played (as occurred, for example, at the Los Angeles Olympics) or the right part is played but at the wrong speed, as occurred at the recent Syndey Olympics in 2000.

Some have suggested that the anthem be replaced with "Ireland's Call". The suggestion has also been made that, as occurred in Germany after World War II, the government might change the words of the anthem while keeping the original melody.

"Ireland's Call" is now used at international rugby matches, because the Irish rugby team is drawn from the whole island, and is supported by both nationalists and Unionists alike. The only partial exception to this rule are home games played in the Republic of Ireland, prior to which both Amhr n na bhFiann and "Ireland's Call" are sung.

Lyrics

The Irish national anthem consists only of the chorus of "Amhr n na bhFiann", and is almost always sung in Irish. The first two lines of the anthem and the last two, played together, form the Irish "Presidential Salute", which is played when the President of Ireland attends official events. Only the part of "Amhr n na bhFiann" used for the anthem is given below.

It should be noted that, in the English version of the chorus, the Irish "bhearna bhaoil" is sung instead of the English translation: "gap of danger". The Irish is roughly pronounced "vahr-na veel", and fits more easily the English rhyming scheme.

Irish version

Sinne Fianna F il

At faoi gheall ag irinn,

Bu on d r slua

Thar toinn do r inig chugainn,

Faoi mh id bheith saor.

Seant r sinsear feasta

N gfar faoin tior faoin tr ill

Anocht a th am sa bhearna bhaoil,

Le gean ar Ghaeil chun b is n saoil

Le guna scr ach faoi l mhach na bpil ar

Seo libh canaidh Amhr n na bhFiann.

English version

Soldiers are we

whose lives are pledged to Ireland;

Some have come

from a land beyond the wave.

Sworn to be free,

No more our ancient sire land

Shall shelter the despot or the slave.

Tonight we man the gap of danger

In Erin's cause, come woe or weal

'Mid cannons' roar and rifles peal,

We'll chant a soldier's song.

Footnote

1. Amhr n na bhFiann may be pronounced: "ow-rawn na vayn".
2. Bhearna Bhaoil may be pronounced "var-nah vwail" with very soft v's

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Amhr n na bhFiann

Media files

• MIDI file (http://www.lengua-translations.de/anthems/ireland.mid) 7.6KB simple sequence from [1] (http://www.lengua.com/hymnen.htm).
• MP3 file (http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/getFile.asp?FC_ID=288&docID=241) 1.0MB anthem played by the Army Band from Department of the Taoiseach (http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie).
• RealMedia (http://thetvroom.com/video4/BE-AR-RTE1-ANTHEM-94-02.rm) 3.9MB audio-visual used on RTE television in the 1980s/90s from The TV Room (http://www.thetvroom.com).