Words of song-"Felons of our land" -- Stormont Watch

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Date Posted: Sat, Mar 24 2007, 16:06:59 PDT
Author: triskelle site map via GOOGLE
Subject: Words of song-"Felons of our land"
In reply to: WANTED A.S.A.P. for April obituary 's message, "Words of song-"Felons of our land"" on Wed, Mar 21 2007, 20:04:35 PDT

The Felons of Our Land

Irish nationalism experienced an upsurge after the Great Famine. Ideologically supported by former Young Ireland leaders in exile and with financial and moral support from thousands emigrants, organized in the America based Fenian Brotherhood, the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) took shape in Ireland. Plans, developed by these two organisations, unified in what is known as the Fenian Movement, to rise a large scaled revolt leaked out and apart from some isolated incidents the 1867 Fenian Rising didn't took off.

The plans of the Fenian Rising however unveiled a world-wide network of Irish and Irish descendants somehow or other rebelling against British rule. In an attempt to avert the sentiments the British resorted to character assassination by depicting earlier rebels such as Owen Roe O'Neill and Theobald Wolfe Tone, but also the founders of Young Ireland and the arrested Fenians, as plain criminals. Apparently this criminalisation was of no concern of Arthur Forrester who wrote The Felons of Our Land in the 1870's.

Just like Down By The Glenside this song was one of the most prominent Irish rebel songs and singing it could led to imprisonment until the 1920's.
The Felons of Our Land was seemingly forgotten until rediscovered in 1976 when the Special Category Status was abolished. By criminalising what some might call political prisoners Britain had fallen into the same trap as it did a century before.

The Felons of Our Land
Title:

The Felons of Our Land
Lyrics by:
Arthur Forrester
No recordings known
Category:
Early Rebellions and Wars,
Republican Song
and
Traditional Song
To the best of our knowledge this material is traditional and belongs to the public domain. Inform us if we are wrong.

Fill up once more, we`ll drink a toast to comrades far away,
No nation on earth can boast of braver hearts than they,
And though they sleep in dungeons deep, or flee outlawed and banned
We love them yet, we can`t forget, the Felons of our Land.

In boyhood`s bloom and manhoods pride fordoomed by alien laws,
Some on the scaffold proudly died, for holy Ireland`s cause,
And brothers say, shall we, today, unmoved by cowards stand,
While traitors shame and foes defame, the Felons of our Land.

Some in the convicts dreary cell, have found a living tomb,
And some unseen untended fell within the dungeons`s gloom,
But what care we, although it be, trod by a ruffian band,
God bless the clay where rest today the Felons of our Land.

Let cowards mock and tyrants frown, ah little do we care,
A Felon`s cap is the noblest crown an Irish head can wear
And every Gael in Inishfail, who scorn the serf`s vile brand,
From Lee to Boyne, would gladly join the Felons of our Land.

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