The Troubles rocked Northern Ireland for nearly 40 years, and the effects are still felt through the generations today. Let’s take a look at the most important and most famous songs about The Troubles.
The decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland known as The Troubles was, in fact, a devastating civil war that, to this day, outlines one of the darkest parts of Irish history.
While it officially came to an end, along with the signing of the Northern Ireland peace agreement in 1998, the effects of the conflict are still felt today.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at the ten most famous songs about The Troubles that shone a light on the conflict around the world.
Ireland Before You Die’s top facts about The Troubles
- The Troubles was a conflict that started in the late 1960s and concluded with the 1998 Good Friday/Belfast Agreement which brought peace. It was trigged by civil rights marches where Catholics sought equal rights in the 1960s.
- One of the worst atrocities, and most shocking events of the Troubles, and an event which has more than one song written of it, is ‘Bloody Sunday’, where the British Army shot and killed 14 unarmed and innocent civilians in Derry.
- The crux of the conflict lays between religious and political divide. Protestantism has historically been connected to unionism and Britishness, and Catholicism has been linked to Republicanism and Irishness.
- There were paramilitary organisations on both sides, and security forces were also involved, such as the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the British Army.
- The Peace Process that sprang out of the 1998 Agreement is one of the most revered around the world, which still lasts to this day.
10. Zombie by The Cranberries – an outcry in response to needless death
The Cranberries are truly one of the greatest Irish rock bands of all time, and indeed one of the best Irish bands of all time. ‘Zombie’ was a visceral response to the needless deaths of two young boys in Warrington, Cheshire, in 1993.
Their deaths were caused by an IRA bombing on a busy street, and the pain and suffering of the masses is felt through Dolores O’Riordan’s powerful rendition.
READ MORE: See where The Cranberries rank on Ireland Before You Die’s list of the best Irish bands of all time
9. Give Ireland Back to the Irish by Paul and Linda McCartney – a song that was quickly banned upon release
‘Give Ireland Back to the Irish’ was written as a response to the unjust events of Bloody Sunday. Paul McCartney co-wrote the song with his wife at the time, Linda.
It was released as the debut single of Paul McCartney and Wings following The Beatles disbanding. The song was quickly banned by the BBC, Radio Luxembourg, and the Independent Television Authority.
8. The Island by Paul Brady – a beautiful anti-war song
Paul Brady is a singer and songwriter from Strabane, County Tyrone. ‘The Island’ is often considered one of the greatest anti-war songs of all time.
This is a beautiful song that outlines the need for love and compassion over violence and conflict. One of the most poignant lines is, “Up here, we sacrifice our children to feed the worn-out dreams of yesterday”.
7. Song for Ireland by Mary Black – hopes for a peaceful Ireland
While this song by Dublin native Mary Black isn’t strictly about The Troubles, it is about the struggle of violence and conflict in Ireland in general.
In this song, Mary Black talks of the beauty and intrigue of Ireland. However, one stanza, in particular, reveals hopes for her homeland to be “a land where no man had to fight”.
RELATED: For more, check out IB4UD’s article on the top 10 saddest Irish songs ever written, ranked
6. Only Our Rivers Run Free by Mickey MacConnell – a song for independence
Mickey MacConnell is a musician and songwriter from County Fermanagh who has written many songs about The Troubles from the point of view of both sides.
‘Only Our Rivers Run Free’ is the first song he released. It is a sorrowful rendition of the haunting Irish quest for independence, which comes out in all of these incredible movies about Irish history.
The song, much like many others he has sung, shows compassion and love for all those afflicted by death as a result of the conflict.
5. The Town I Loved So Well by Phil Coulter – beautiful Derry with a haunting past
‘The Town I Love So Well’ is a poignant song written by Derry man Phil Coulter. He details the story of growing up in Derry and watching it turn into a warzone engulfed by The Troubles.
With conflicts like the Battle of the Bogside of 1969 and Bloody Sunday taking place there, Derry is often considered the origin of The Troubles.
READ MORE: Museum of Free Derry: History, facts and visitor info
4. Street of Sorrow / Birmingham Six by The Pogues – a highly political song
“There were six men in Birmingham; in Guildford, there’s four that were picked up and tortured and framed by the law”.
This is a hauntingly political song by The Pogues about the Birmingham Six, six Irishmen who were wrongly imprisoned after one of the worst attacks by the IRA killed 21 people in 1974.
READ MORE: See where The Pogues rank on our list of the top 10 best Irish songs all of all time, ranked
3. The Men Behind the Wire by The Wolfe Tones – one of the most famous songs about The Troubles
‘The Men Behind the Wire’ was written by Paddy McGuigan of the Barleycorn folk group in the aftermath of Operation Demetrius.
This was a British Army operation during The Troubles, which saw the mass arrest and internment of many Irish people suspected of being involved in the IRA.
Some of the most poignant lyrics of the song are “Armoured cars and tanks and guns came to take away our sons”, a struggle that many families experienced during The Troubles.
2. Wasted Life by Stiff Little Fingers – throwing two fingers up to paramilitaries and the establishment
Stiff Little Fingers came to be in 1977 during the height of The Troubles. ‘Wasted Life’ basically outlines their unwillingness to waste their lives with the fighting that has caused so much death.
Undoubtedly one of the most famous songs about the Troubles, Stiff Little Fingers still have a huge following today.
1. Joe McDonnell by The Wolfe Tones – the story of hunger striker Joe McDonnell
Written specifically about the 1981 hunger strikes that saw so many lives lost, ‘Joe McDonnell’ by The Wolfe Tones is a deeply poignant song about one hunger striker in particular, who died after a hunger strike that lasted 61 days.
In this song, The Wolfe Tones ask the listener to question “the deeds” the British government carried out in the past after labelling the hunger strikers as “terrorists”.
Your questions answered about songs about The Troubles
Should you have any further questions about songs about the Troubles, then let us help you out. Below are the most frequently asked questions from our readers and online about this topic.
What is the song about the Troubles in Belfast?
There are lots of different songs that have dealt with that, but a couple in particular would be Stiff Little Fingers and Zombies.
What is the 90s song about the Irish war?
Zombies was written by The Cranberries as a protest song about an IRA bomb in Warrington. Another would be ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ by U2 about the events in Derry in 1972.
What is the meaning of the town I loved so well?
The song begins with a simple lifestyle growing up in Derry, before developing to lament the how the city became a military outpost plagued with violence.
What does Black and Tans mean in Ireland?
The Black and Tans were British veterans who served in WWI sent to Ireland during the War of Independence. They were a brutal force hated by the local population.
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