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Written in 1979 by Pete St. John and set during An Gorta Mór (The Great Hunger) of the 1840s. The song tells of a young man from Athenry in County Galway, who after stealing food for his starving family has been sentenced to transportation to the Australian penal colony at Botany Bay.

lyrics

By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young girl calling
Michael they are taking you away
For you stole Trevelyn’s corn
So the young might see the morn.
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay.

Chorus
Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
Our love was on the wing
we had dreams and songs to sing
It’s so lonely ’round the Fields of Athenry.

By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young man calling
Nothing matters Mary when you’re free,
Against the Famine and the Crown
I rebelled they ran me down
Now you must raise our child with dignity.

Chorus

By a lonely harbour wall
She watched the last star falling
As that prison ship sailed out against the sky
Sure she’ll wait and hope and pray
For her love in Botany Bay
It’s so lonely ’round the Fields of Athenry.

Chorus

credits

from From The Plough To The Stars- A Celtic Punk Celebration Of Irish Rebel Songs, released February 24, 2023
The Sons Of O'Flaherty are a Celtic-Folk-Punk hailing from the Breton town of Vannes. The song is taken from their debut album The Road Not Taken.
sonsofoflaherty.bandcamp.com/album/the-road-not-taken
www.difymusic.com/sons-of-o-flaherty

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The London Celtic Punks London, UK

For drunx, celtic-punx and vagabonds!
"There's always been a strong argument that folk music is the original rebel music. The music of the people and historically through that music the people challenged the land owners, challenged the state and wrote the stories that recounted these acts; Therefore it could be argued that folk was in fact the first real punk rock" ... more

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