The Rifles of the IRA

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The Rifles of the IRA is an Irish rebel song. It is recorded by The Wolfe Tones.

[edit] Lyrics

In nineteen hundred and sixteen
the forces of the crown
To take the orange,white and green,
bombarded Dublin Town
But in '21, Brittania's sons
Were forced to earn their pay,
When the Black and tans,
Like lightning ran
From the rifles of the IRA!

They burned their way through Munster
Then laid Leinster on the rack
In Connaught and in Ulster
marched men of brown and black
They shot down wives and children
In their own heroic way
But the Black and Tans,
Like lightning ran
From the rifles of the IRA!

They hanged young Kevin Barry high
Just a lads of eighteen years
Cork City's flames lit up in the sky
But our brave lads knew no fear
The Cork brigade with hand-grenades
In ambush wait and lay,
And the black and tans,
Like lightning ran
From the Rifles of the IRA!

The tans were got, taken out and shot
By a brave and valiant few
Sean Treacy, Dinny Lacey
And Tom Barry's gallant crew
Though we're not free yet we won't forget
Until our dying day,
How the black and tans,
Like lightning ran
From the Rifles of the IRA!