The Rakes of Mallow is a traditional Irish song and polka. The song is about the rakes from the town of Mallow, a town in County Cork.[1] It was first written down in Scotland during the 1780s.[1] The song is a fight song for Notre Dame Fighting Irish fans.[2][3] A version of the song was performed by Leroy Anderson, and the song was also featured in the film The Quiet Man (1952) and 1941 (1979). It was one of the European songs adapted by the Indian Carnatic music composer Muthuswami Dikshitar in the 18th/19th century, as Vande Meenakshi, a prayer to the goddess Meenakshi with Sanskrit lyrics.[4]
The tune also plays during a montage sequence in the film Rudy.