THE IRISH NATIONAL ANTHEM
Bratach na hÉireann

This replaced the former anthem, "God Save Ireland," when it was sung at the GPO during the 1916
Easter uprising and at the internment camps. Most of the time, only the chorus is actually sung by
those in the stands of a football match. The text of The Soldier's Song (Amhrán na bhFiann),
consisting of three stanzas and a chorus, was written in 1907 by Peadar Kearney, an uncle of
Brendan Behan, who together with Patrick Heeney also composed the music. It was first published
in the newspaper, Irish Freedom in 1912. The song was not widely known until it was sung during the
Easter Rising of 1916 and later at various internment camps. The chorus was formally adopted as
the National Anthem in 1926, displacing the earlier Fenian anthem, God Save Ireland. A section of
the National Anthem (consisting of the first four bars followed by the last five) is also the
Presidential Salute.
Amhrán na bhFiann
Seo dhibh a cháirde duan Oglaigh,
Cathréimeach 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 th¡ocht do'n ló
Fa chiúnas chaomh na hoiche ar seol:
Seo libh canaidh amhrán na bhFiann.


Curfá:
Sinne Finna Fáil
Atá fá gheall ag Éirinn,
buion dár slua
Thar túinn do ráinig chugainn,
fámhórd bheith saor
Sean tír ár sinsir feastá
Ní fhagfar fá tíorá fán tráil
Anocht a théam sa bhearna bhaoil,
Le gean ar Ghaeil chun báis nó saoil
guna screach fá l mhach na bpiléar
Seo libh canaidh amhrán na bhFiann.

Cois bánta réidhe, ar árdaibh sléibhe,
Ba bhuachach ár sinsir romhainn,
Ag lámhach go tréan fé'n sár-bhrat séin
Tá thuas sa ghaoith go seolta
Ba dhúchas riamh d'ár gcine cháidh
Gan iompáil siar ó imirt áir,
'S ag siúl mar iad i gcoinne námhad
Seo libh, canaídh Amhrán na bhFiann

Curfá:

A bhuidhean nach fann d'fhuil Ghaeil is
Gall,
Sin breacadh lae na saoirse,
Tá scéimhle 's scanradh i gcroidthe
namhad,
Roimh ranna laochra ár dtíre.
ár dtinte is tréith gan spréach anois,
Sin luisne ghlé san spéir anoir,
'S an b¡obha i raon na bpiléar agaibh:
Seo libh, canaidh amhrán na bhFiann.
 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:
Soldier's Song
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 wait 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 sire land
Shall shelter the despot or the slave.
tonight we man the gap of danger
In Erin's cause, come woe or weal
'Mid cannons' roar and rifles peal,
We'll chant a soldier's song.

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.


Download the MP3 in Gaelic
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or for high-speed internet click on the link

Download the MP3 in English
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Special thanks to Tom Hickey of Melbourne for the anthem song www.IrishAustralia.com.

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