Arthur McBride is an Irish folk song. It was first collected around 1840 in Limerick, Ireland and is believed to have originated in Donegal. The song is can be narrowly categorized as an "anti-recruiting" song and more broadly as a protest song. This article is about the city in Ireland. ... Donegal (Dún na nGall in Irish) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. ... A protest song is a song intended to protest perceived problems in society such as injustice, racial discrimination, war, globalization, inflation, social inequalities. ...

In the song, the narrator and his cousin, Arthur McBride, both Irish, were taking a walk when they were approached by two British military recruiters, a recruiting sergeant and a drummer. The recruiters attempt to induce the narrator and Arthur McBride into military service, extolling the virtues of serving the King of England, having money to spend, and wearing nice clothes. Arthur McBride tells the recruiter, if they joined, the clothes would merely be loaned to them and that they would be made to go to war in France where they would be killed. The recruiter, taking offense to Arthur's disrespect of the King, becomes angry at Arthur and the narrator, and threatens to use his sword on them. Then, Arthur and the narrator use their shillelaghs to hit the recruiter and the drummer over their heads, and after doing so, take their pouch of money, and throw their swords and the drummer's drum into the ocean. This article is about the rank of sergeant. ... This is a list of British monarchs, that is, the monarchs on the thrones of some of the various kingdoms that have existed on, or incorporated, the island of Great Britain, namely: England (united with Wales from 1536) up to 1707; Scotland up to 1707; The Kingdom of Great Britain... The word shillelagh can mean:- A type of club (weapon). ...

It has been sung by numerous performers, including Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and poet whose enduring contributions to American song are often compared, in fame and influence, to those of Stephen Foster, Irving Berlin, Woody Guthrie, and Hank Williams. ...