IRISH REPUBLICAN NEWS
Posted by Jim on July 23, 2026
100 years of the Irish national anthem
Amhrán Na bhFiann was officially adopted as Ireland’s national anthem 100 years ago this week. Aontú councillor Peter O’Donoghue calls for the song to be made a compulsory element of the school curriculum.
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This is the 100th anniversary of the official adoption of Amhrán Na bhFiann as our national anthem, and it is fitting that we do all in our power to ensure it is taught in primary and secondary schools.
It is a fabulous anthem and gained major traction as a marching song during the 1916 Rising and the War of Independence, not least here in Cork, where the mountains reverberated with the sound of it as brave men and women sang it passionately.
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolising a country’s history, culture, and values. It fosters unity, instils national pride, and serves as an official sonic representation of a state. National Anthems are sung with pride in countries throughout the world.
Living in Alberta, Canada, and working with a construction company which was contracted to do maintenance work for public buildings in the province, I often worked on jobs in schools which were open and operating as schools as maintenance works were carried out. When working in these schools, the first thing that would happen every Monday morning was that the National Anthem of Canada was sung by all the pupils. It was a very powerful experience.
I spoke to cousins of mine in New Zealand, and they told me that they sang the New Zealand National Anthem every Friday in school.
A friend of mine living in Kenya, Derry Desmond from Watergrasshill, who operates the Charity, Le Cheile Africa, sent me a message this morning of a picture of 400 Kenyan children singing their national anthem this morning. They sing it every Monday and Friday morning. Fantastic to see.
Many other countries across the world make it mandatory for students to sing their countries’ National Anthem every week, including The United States, Mexico and India, to name a few.
As a result of students having to sing their national anthem every week, the people in all these countries, from young students to the elderly, know their national anthem off by heart and as a result sing it with pride and gusto.
Unfortunately, we cannot say the same here in Ireland. Many Irish people don’t actually know their own national anthem and therefore don’t understand the significance or meaning of it and unfortunately can’t sing it.
The Irish state is actually failing by not ensuring that every Irish citizen is taught Ireland’s national anthem, Amhrán na bhFiann, in Irish classrooms. This has to change!
In the future, all children who attend primary and secondary school in Ireland should be taught our national anthem, Amhrán Na bhFiann. The best way to do this, in my opinion, is for every student to sing it at least once a week in school, and the best year to make this a compulsory part of our schools’ weekly education programme is this year, 2026, the 100-year anniversary of our official adaptation of Amhran na BhFiann as our national anthem.
HISTORY
‘The Soldier’s Song’ was first published in the Irish Freedom newspaper in 1912. It gained more popularity when it was sung by the Volunteers in the GPO in 1916. Following the Easter Rising, it replaced “God Save Ireland” which had been the unofficial anthem of Irish nationalists.
The English lyrics were written by Peadar Kearney. He was a brother of Kathleen Behan and an uncle to renowned Irish writers Brendan Behan, Dominic Behan and Brian Behan. He was a co-founder of the Irish Volunteers and took part in the Howth and Kilcoole gun runnings in 1914. During the Easter Rising, he fought at Jacob’s biscuit factory under Thomas MacDonagh, one of the seven signatories of the Irish proclamation.
Patrick Heeney composed the melody for The Soldier’s Song on a melodeon as he was unable to write music. He died in 1911 aged just 29 years of age. He is buried in Drumcondra Cemetery, where a plaque on the wall honours him.
Liam Ó Rinn translated the song into Irish as ‘Amhrán na bhFiann’ . He took part in the Easter Rising and the War of Independence and was interned in Frongoch in Wales. He was an accomplished linguist; he had a command of Russian, French, Spanish, Welsh and German and translated works from several European writers.
Only the chorus of the Irish language version is used as the Irish national anthem.
The following is the full text of Amhrán Na bhFiann, in both English and in Irish:
English version:
I
We’ll sing a song, a soldier’s song
With cheering rousing chorus
As round our blazing fires we throng
The starry heavens o’er us
Impatient for the coming fight
And as we await the morning’s light
Here in the silence of the night
We’ll chant a soldier’s song
[Chorus]
Soldiers are we
Whose lives are pledged to Ireland
Some have come
From a land beyond the wave
Sworn to be free
No more our ancient sireland
Shall shelter the despot or the slave
Tonight we man the maw of danger
In Erin’s cause, come woe or weal
‘Mid cannons’ roar and rifles’ peal
We’ll chant a soldier’s song
II
In valley green, on towering crag
Our fathers fought before us
And conquered ‘neath the same old flag
That’s proudly floating o’er us
We’re children of a fighting race
That never yet has known disgrace
And as we march, the foe to face
We’ll chant a soldier’s song
[Chorus]
Soldiers are we
Whose lives are pledged to Ireland
Some have come
From a land beyond the wave
Sworn to be free
No more our ancient sireland
Shall shelter the despot or the slave
Tonight we man the maw of danger
In Erin’s cause, come woe or weal
‘Mid cannons’ roar and rifles’ peal
We’ll chant a soldier’s song
III
Sons of the Gael! Men of the Pale!
The long-watched day is breaking
The serried ranks of Inisfail
Shall set the tyrant quaking
Our camp fires now are burning low
See in the east a silv’ry glow
Out yonder waits the Saxon foe
So chant a soldier’s song
[Chorus]
Soldiers are we
Whose lives are pledged to Ireland
Some have come
From a land beyond the wave
Sworn to be free
No more our ancient sireland
Shall shelter the despot or the slave
Tonight we man the maw of danger
In Erin’s cause, come woe or weal
‘Mid cannons’ roar and rifles’ peal
We’ll chant a soldier’s song
Leagan Gaeilge:
I
Seo díbh a chairde duan Óglaigh,
Caithréimeach bríomhar ceolmhar,
Ár dtinte cnámh go buacach táid,
‘S an spéir go mín réaltógach
Is fonnmhar faobhrach sinn chun gleo
‘S go tiúnmhar glé roimh thíocht don ló
Faoi chiúnas chaomh na hoíche ar seol:
Seo libh canaigí Amhrán na bhFiann.
[Curfá]
Sinne Fianna Fáil
Atá faoi gheall ag Éirinn,
Buíon dár slua
Thar toinn do ráinig chugainn.
Faoi mhóid bheith saor,
Seantír ár sinsir feasta
Ní fhágfar faoin tíorán ná faoin tráil
Anocht a théim sa bhearna baoil,
Le gean ar Ghaeil chun báis nó saoil
Le gunna-scréach faoi lámhach na bpiléar
Seo libh canaigí Amhrán na bhFiann.
II
Cois bánta réidh, ar arda sléibhe,
Ba bhuach ár sinsir romhainn,
Ag lámhach go tréan faoin sárbhrat séin
Tá thuas sa ghaoth go seolta
Ba dhúchas riamh dár gcine cháidh
Gan iompáil siar ó imirt áir,
‘S ag siúl mar iad i gcoinne namhad
Seo libh, canaigí Amhrán na bhFiann.
[Curfá]
Sinne Fianna Fáil
Atá faoi gheall ag Éirinn,
Buíon dár slua
Thar toinn do ráinig chugainn.
Faoi mhóid bheith saor,
Seantír ár sinsir feasta
Ní fhágfar faoin tíorán ná faoin tráil
Anocht a théim sa bhearna baoil,
Le gean ar Ghaeil chun báis nó saoil
Le gunna-scréach faoi lámhach na bpiléar
Seo libh canaigí Amhrán na bhFiann.
III
A bhuíon nach fann d’fhuil Ghaeil is Gall,
Sin breacadh lae na saoirse,
Ta sceimhle ‘s scanradh i gcroithe namhad,
Roimh ranna laochra ár dtíre.
Ár dtinte is tréith gan spréach anois,
Sin luisne ghlé san spéir anoir,
‘S an bíobha i raon na bpiléar agaibh:
Seo libh, canaigí Amhrán na bhFiann.
[Curfá]
Sinne Fianna Fáil
Atá faoi gheall ag Éirinn,
Buíon dár slua
Thar toinn do ráinig chugainn.
Faoi mhóid bheith saor,
Seantír ár sinsir feasta
Ní fhágfar faoin tíorán ná faoin tráil
Anocht a théim sa bhearna baoil,
Le gean ar Ghaeil chun báis nó saoil
Le gunna-scréach faoi lámhach na bpiléar
Seo libh canaigí Amhrán na bhFiann.