Songs have always played an important role in the struggle for Irish freedom. 50 years ago, as the republican struggle entered a new phase of resistance to British rule in the Six Counties, republican ballads became
widely popular and were even chart hits. Governments soon clamped down and rebel songs disappeared from the airwaves. These conventions are still in force today. JASON LAMBERT takes a wry look back.
Armoured cars and tanks and bans A question. What have ‘The Men Behind the Wire’ by Barleycorn and the Bing Crosby song, ‘On a Slow Boat to China’ got in common? They were, according to John Clarke RTÉ station manager in 2007, the only two songs to be officially banned by RTÉ itself and not covered by direct political censorship, such as Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act. According to Mr Clarke, ‘The Men Behind the Wire’ was “glorifying the IRA during the Northern Troubles”. ‘On a Slow Boat to China’ was banned because of the single line “I want to get you on a slow boat to China”, apparently a wellknown phrase amongst poker players meaning someone who loses slowly but over a period of time. This writer does not see an issue with this in a love song, with the composer wanting to spend as much time as possible with his partner. But I’m not here to advocate for Bing! The other song written by Paddy McGuigan of Belfast and recorded with his band The Barleycorn, ‘The Men Behind the Wire’ is a factual, historically correct account of the action of the British Army under orders from the British government when they mounted Operation Demetrius against the nationalist communities across the Six Counties on 9 August 1971. Operation Demetrius was internment and involved the mass arrest and imprisonment without trial of people suspected of being involved with the IRA or otherwise enemies of the state. It was proposed by the Unionist government at Stormont and approved by the British cabinet. Armed soldiers launched dawn raids throughout 54
nationalist areas and arrested 342 people in the initial sweep, sparking four days of violence in which 20 civilians, two IRA members and two British soldiers were killed. All of those arrested were Irish republicans and nationalists, the vast majority of them Catholics. Due to faulty and out-of-date intelligence, many were no longer involved in republican militancy or never had links with the IRA. Ulster loyalist paramilitaries were also carrying out acts of violence, which were mainly directed against Catholics and Irish nationalists, but no loyalists were included in the sweep. If we are to examine the lyrics of this song, at no point does it “glorify the IRA”, it simply calls out for civil resistance to the indiscriminate internment of mostly young men based on their address, religion, and politics. For centuries in Ireland, it was the bards and storytellers who announced the news in towns and villages and on many occasions archived these events in song. Songs and
music have always played an integral part of Irish life and for them to be banned for simply relaying history was completely wrong. Around this time, many well-known bands were playing support gigs for An Cumann Cabhrach (republican prisoners aid committee) and other fundraising efforts, including the Dublin City Ramblers, the Wolfe Tones, the Barleycorn, and Belfast band the Flying Column. The last of whom had a hit with ‘Johnsons Motor Car’, which was also banned under Section 31. Kerry republican Eddie Barrett, living in Dublin in the early ‘70s, recalls many packed gigs at Dublin venues such as The Shieling Hotel and The Embankment, with well-known ballad groups playing in aid of republican prisoners, a scene replicated across the state but not reflected by the ‘national broadcaster’. And then there was Christy Moore. Has there been any Irish performer who has had so many songs ignored and removed from playlists by RTÉ and other radio stations for their outspoken content? Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act and the self-censorship
ISSUE NUMBER 1 – 2022 - UIMHIR EISIÚNA 1 anphoblacht
