Come Out, Ye Black and Tans

The song is attributed to Irish songwriter Dominic Behan, who was born into the literary Behan family in Dublin in 1928 (his brother was Brendan Behan). The setting of the song is the Dublin into which Behan was born in the late 1920s, and the main character in the song (who is calling his neighbours "Black and Tans"), is believed to be Behan's father, Stephen Behan, who was a prominent Irish republican, and who had fought in the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. At times, the song's authorship has been mistakenly attributed to Stephen Behan. == Melody ==

The melody of the song was adapted by Behan from an old air, '''' (Irish for "Battlecry of Munster"), by (Pierce FitzGerald, c. 1709 – c. 1792), which was closely associated with the Jacobite cause during the 18th century. A variant of the tune migrated to Scotland and to the Appalachian Mountains, where it became the most common melody for the traditional folk ballad Barbara Allen. ==Lyrics==

While the song title and lyrics refer to the Black and Tans from the War of Independence, the Black and Tans themselves do not figure prominently in the lyrics.). The lyrics reference the disdain by his neighbours (saying "sneers and jeers that you loudly let us hear"), to the execution of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising, and to the fall of the Irish nationalist political leader, Charles Stewart Parnell. There are variations of the original lyrics that incorporate references to more modern events in Irish nationalism, such as the Troubles. ==Recordings==

Wolfe Tones The most notable recording of the song was by the Irish traditional group, the Wolfe Tones, who recorded the song on their 1972 album, Let the People Sing, and which credited the writing of the song to D. Behan. The Wolfe Tones version of the song recharted in 2019–2020 (see below), and the group posted on their Twitter account that the proceeds from the re-charting would be donated to an Irish homeless charity run by Peter McVerry. ==21st-century use==

Celtic Football Club In an article about the violence and bigotry surrounding Old Firm football matches, the Irish Independent wrote: "Then there's the stereotypical image of the Celtic supporters wearing T-shirts of 'undefeated army' and having their phones ringing to the sound of 'Come out ye black and tans. Advertising campaigns In March 2019, Irish food company, Brady Family Ham, released an advertising video that went viral, which used the tune of the song but with amended lyrics, and replacing the word "Tan" with "Ham", that was directed by Father Ted director Declan Lowney. This Time with Alan Partridge (2019) In March 2019, episode four of Steve Coogan's This Time with Alan Partridge, ended with a rendition of "Come Out, Ye Black and Tans" by Coogan, acting in-character as the fictional Irish farmer Martin Brennan. RIC commemoration (2020) In January 2020, the Wolfe Tones' version of "Come Out Ye Black and Tans" reached No. 1 on the Ireland and UK iTunes charts, as part of "widespread criticism" of the (Irish) Government's planned commemoration of the RIC, as part of its "Decade of Commemoration" (commemorating the events of 19121922 in Ireland). and also debuted at No. 1 in the Scottish Singles Chart, which only counts paid-for sales and does not include streaming. The band committed to donating the proceeds of this recent success to a Dublin-based homeless charity. and was listed in the "10 defining moments" of the election by the Irish Independent. An adapted version of the song was also used by the Independent TD for Kerry, Michael Healy-Rae, as a campaign song. ==Charts==

The Wolfe Tones version ==References==