The tradition of rebel music in Ireland dates back to the period of
English (and later British) crown rule, and it describes historical events in
Irish history such as
rebellions against the Crown and reinforces the desire for self-determination among the Irish people and the
Irish diaspora. Although they have a deep-rooted sense of tradition, rebel songs have nonetheless remained contemporary, and since the end of the
Irish Civil War in 1923, the focus has moved onto the
nationalist cause in Northern Ireland and the
Irish Free State, including support for the
Anti-Treaty IRA, the
Provisional IRA, the
INLA, and
Sinn Féin. However, the subject matter is not confined to Irish history, and includes the exploits of the
Connolly Column, who fought for the
Republican side in the
Spanish Civil War, and also
Irish Americans who participated in the
American Civil War. There are also some songs that express sorrow over war (from a Republican perspective), such as
Only our rivers run free, and some have been covered by bands who have modified lyrics to be explicitly
anti-war, such as the cover of
The Patriot Game by Scottish band
The Bluebells. In August 1971, the
Irish Independent reported that
RTÉ, the Irish state broadcaster, had decided to restrict the broadcasting of an album of Irish rebel songs entitled "Up The Rebels" (featuring the Wolfe Tones), which had been recently re-released by
Dolphin Records. A spokesman for RTÉ said that the broadcaster had made the decision not to "play records which could create tension in
Northern Ireland", but assured that the decision would be rescinded once the problems in Northern Ireland had subsided. Many of the more popular acts recently such as , , Athenrye, Shebeen, and are from
Glasgow. The Bog Savages of San Francisco are fronted by an escapee from
Belfast's
Long Kesh prison who made his break in the September 1983 "
Great Escape" by the IRA. Music of this genre has often courted controversy, with some of this music effectively banned from the airwaves in the
Republic of Ireland in the 1980s. More recently,
Derek Warfield's music was banned from
Aer Lingus flights, after the
Ulster Unionist politician
Roy Beggs Jr compared his songs to the speeches of
Osama bin Laden. However, a central tenet of the justification for rebel music from its supporters is that it represents a long-standing tradition of freedom from tyranny. Themes include "Arbour Hill", about
the place; "Fergal O'Hanlon", about
the man; "Northern Gaels"/"Crumlin Jail", about
the prison; "The Ballad of Mairead Farrell", about
the woman; "Seán Treacy", about
the man; and "Pearse Jordan", about
the man. On the occasion of his being the first Irish actor to win the
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2024 for
Oppenheimer,
Cillian Murphy quipped "It means a lot to me to be Irish. I don't know what else to say – should I sing a rebel song?". ==List of notable songs by era of subject==