Search in        
FIELDS OF ATHENRY, THE

< previous next >

(Pete St. John)
(o):Danny Doyle (1979)label: Release
 Not older than that. Athenry is a spot some 15 miles east of Galway town. You can't miss the 'low lying fields'.
(c):Barleycorn (1982) [top 10 IRE], Paddy Reilly (1983) [top 5 IRE], Phil Coulter (1984) , Century Steel Band (1986) [reggae; hit IRE], Cox Crew (1999) [hit IRE], Irish Tenors (2000) , Liverpool supporters (2000s) [as The Fields Of Anfield Road], Durutti Column (2001) , Dance To Tipperary (2001) [hit IRE], Dropkick Murphys (2003) , Foster & Allen (2003) [hit IRE], Brian O'Donnell (2003) [in film Veronica Guerin as Bad News; the song was also heard in film Dead Poets Society with the action situated in 1959, twenty years before this song was written; it does sound traditional indeed], Christine Noble & the Irish Rugby Team (2005) [hit IRE], Charlie Haden (2008) [vocal: his daughter Petra], Mudmen (2010) ,
 
Telling a sad forced deportation story from the potato famine era, when desperate farmers stole unused corn from the British, costing them a one way trip to Bantry Bay, Australia. Never to be able to see their native Athenry again struck a common Irish string, intensified since soccer supporters started using the tune as some alternative Irish national anthem. Obvious throughout the world since Spain-Ireland during the UEFA European Championship end round: 4-0 for Spain but only the losing supporters were singing.
Provide extra information or corrections by submitting the following form:




CAPTCHA
Not readable? Try a different code

All fields are mandatory.