James Connolly

Connolly was a founding member of the IRA, was executed by the british at some point during the Irish Revolution in the early 1920's.

Connolly was pre-IRA Ireland. He was a socialist and beloved by the Bolsheviks (more than one statue of him stood in Russia) - hence the socialist tone to the song. He led the Easter Rising in 1916 which captured the General Post Office (GPO) in Dublin. After they controled the GPO Connolly's cohort Patrick Pearse declared the Republic of Ireland - Illegally. Once the British found out about this they sent in the Army and Connolly was injured and captured. Since Connolly's wounds kept him from being able to stand, the British tied him to a chair and shot him in the head.

The majority of Ireland saw Connolly and his group as a bunch of radicals and condemned their actions. However, once word spread about how the British had executed Connolly the population started to support the revolutionaries and the IRA emerged. The IRA, led by Michael Collins (The Big Fellah, on the Home of the Brave album) would eventually win their independance on December 6, 1921.

You are both rigth, u 2. James Connoly was ICA leader and one of the most important men during the Easter-Rising. Patrick Pearse was IRB leader and Sean McDermott his assosiate). The GPO (General Post Office) was the headquater of the ICA during the Easter Risinng. Kilmainham jail or "Kilmainham gaol" is a famous jail in Dublin (Connoly was executed in this jail). So far my search results. Hope it'll be helpfull.

So the Irish revolution came in two parts, the cultural nationalism crowd who thought that Ireland deserved independence from Britain because it was culturally distinct--this was around the time of a huge renaissance in Irish arts what with Yeats and Lady Gregory and Synge and the Abbey Theatre and so on and so forth, all very noble and glamorous but rather an impractical thing to die for...dulce et decorum, you might say... And then there was James Connolly and co., who thought that Ireland needed independence from Britain in order to attain their broader goal for a more just, equal society, everywhere. "But don't let them wrap any green flag around me and for God's sake, don't let them bury me in some field full of harps and shamrocks, and whatever you do, don't let them make a martyr out of me--No! Rather raise the Starry Plough on high, sing a song of freedom. Here's to you, Lily, the rights of man and INTERNATIONAL REVOLUTION!"

I mean...this is my ANTHEM. And a lesson for anyone trying to get out from under the thumb of an empire without then creating a new, still more oppressive nationalism in its place. A better flag is not reason enough for revolution (or a secession, to whom it may concern...)--a better society is. The fight goes on!

I guess I'm an optimist in that I watch mass media and still have hopes of finding something new and interesting on it. Such was the case when I watched Conan O'brien in the 90's and came across these guys. It was the first time I heard the word proletariat on television (I don't recall them uttering the words "international revolution"). Very powerful stuff. I went to my local music store the next day and picked up Fires of Freedom (thank God for independent owners, I never came across their recordings at Walmart). I have been a fan of theirs since then.

barfolimew- get ur facts straight. not all of ireland is free from british rule