Irish soccer fans; they are acknowledged around the world as the best there is, or should that be the most sycophantic there is? Rebel Voice is always getting those two mixed up. In the Euro tourney in 2016, Irish fans went round gathering up the rubbish from the streets of French cities. Rebel Voice wonders if […]
As will be seen from the following presentation, the tactic of hunger strike has been employed by Irish Republicans since the beginning of the 20th century. Irish martyrs first died on hunger strike in their fight against the British Occupation of Ireland just after the Easter Rising of 1916. Thomas Ashe perished in this way […]
Ireland and Scotland have a long and shared history. They have similar bloodlines due to the presence of the Irish kingdom of Dál Riata on the west coast of modern day Scotland. They share a language with different dialects of Gaelic existing in both nations today. The surnames and first names to be found in […]
Lovers of Irish folk music, particularly rebel songs, will be familiar with tunes such as The Men Behind The Wire and The Boys Of The Old Brigade. But how many will know who wrote them? It’s a sad fact that too often those who take the time to pen such great ballads are often overlooked. […]
John Spillane is a renowned singer-songwriter from the beautiful city of Cork in Ireland. He is a popular constant on both TV and radio on the Emerald Isle. Here is one of his better known ballads. The lyrics in this track are poetry and when set to the haunting melody serve to take the listener […]
For those Catholic Irish among you, the contents of this series of sketches may bring back memories. Mass is a strange affair. We Irish are essentially a pagan people who wear a veil of Christianity when it suits. We go to mass but usually it’s only so that you can say you were there, and […]
Give My Head Peace is a light-hearted take on the conflict in the Occupied Six Counties of Ireland. Comedy, especially dark humour, is a coping mechanism and the Irish of the Six were in need of an effective means to deal with their pain. This sit-com, as much as it has been criticized, is one […]
Here’s a popular song from the sweatiest troubadour in Kildare. Christy Moore has been performing for a very long time. He has been in various bands, from Planxty to Moving Hearts to The Bothy Band. He has also carved out a successful career as a solo performer, and more recently has toured with the virtuoso […]
Bobby Sands was one of the greatest of Irishmen. He was a Republican, Socialist, poet, songwriter, Gaelic speaker, warrior and, sadly, martyr. He died on 5th May, 1981 aged 27. His birthday is on the 9th March. He is a hero for Rebel Voice. In a few hours time I shall be twenty-seven grand years […]
As bad as the conflict in the Occupied Six Counties of Ireland was (and is), there was always a dark sense of humour to accompany the violence. Such an approach is a coping mechanism in face of trauma. It often means that local people will laugh at things while others might find such behaviour wholly […]
The first Dungannon Convention of the Ulster Volunteers on February 15, 1782 calls for an independent Irish parliament. This is the parliament that Henry Grattan also campaigns for and later becomes known as “Grattan’s parliament.” The Irish Volunteers are a part-time military force whose original purpose is to guard against invasion and to preserve law […] […]
The Irish among you will understand the Cult of the Irish Mother. It is a religious belief system that extends across the globe wherever mothers are found, but has its idiosyncrasies in each culture. In Ireland, regardless of whether you are from Ulster, Munster, Leinster or Connaught, you will be familiar with the ways of […]
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