Kerry Songs of Revolution

“If a man were permitted to make all the ballads, he need not care who should make the laws of a nation”
Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun (1653-1716), Scottish patriot.

According to this reading, we are as influenced by the poetry of a nation as we are by its history, and more so than by its laws. In this light Kerry Writers’ Museum has compiled this collection of the songs, ballads and poems of the period 1916-1924 dealing with the 1916 Easter Rising, the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War in County Kerry. While the collection is not exhaustive (there are other songs, ballads and poems of the period), we hope that this book and CD will be a fitting tribute to the memory of all those who played an active part in this important, and formative, period of our history. Local singers including Peggie Sweeney, Tim Dennehy, Jim Lyons and Karen Trench sing the 15 songs on the CD, giving them a truly authentic voice.