The Two Brendans

'A song can't bring them back again or heal the wounds or soothe the pain. A song can only keep alive their names.' In February 1988, a new sentence was written into Irish history with the deaths of the Two Brendans. People speak their names with pride, never one without the other. On the 29th February 1988, a double tragedy hit South Armagh. The republican movement lost two brave soldiers, Brendan Moley and Brendan Burns. Both men were buried on the same day; Brendan Moley in Cullyhanna graveyard and Brendan Bums in Crossmaglen graveyard. Their funerals witnessed the worst display of RUC brutality ever seen in the South Armagh area.

Sinn Féin Cllr Jimmy McCreesh

The Two Brendans

I'll tell a tale of gallant men,
Who in the hills around Crossmaglen,
Became a living legend in their day.
Their daring deeds in freedom's fight,
Shone like a beacon in the night,
Where Harvey and McVerry showed the way.

[chorus]
A song can't bring them back again,
Or heal the wounds or sooth the pain,
A song can only keep alive their names,
Of gallant women and of men,
Their lives consumed in freedom's flame,
And we owe that much to Moley and to Burns.

A pall of smoke goes o'er the land,
As cruel fate had played it's hand,
The two Brendan's would have chose no other way,
They died the way they'd want to go,
In action 'gainst the British foe,
They lived and died to serve the IRA.

In Crossmaglen and Culloville,
We keep alive your memory still,
In Silverbridge we speak your names with pride,
And from Dorsey down to Keady town,
Through generations we'll pass on,
Their exploits and the cause for which they died.

We're a special kind of people here,
We breed defiance never fear,
And we'll still be here when the tide against England turns,
Oh for in our hearts we know we're right,
And we never will give up the fight,
We owe that much to Moley and to Burns.

We salute you Brendan Moley and Brendan Burns.


Song Sung by Adelante

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• two
• brendans
• crossmaglen
• moley
• burns
• ira
• brendan
• south
• armagh
• ireland
• freedom
• irish
• Adelante

[chr0noman]

below by Attanazio

[chr0noman]

Hi again...please accept the below poem written by me, to the memory of The Two Brendans....the video is fantastic.I watch again and again....I.R.A volunteers are freedom fighters and not terrorists!

Greetings from Athens, Greece....

THE TWO BRENDANS

To the memory of Brendan Moley and Brendan Burns

translation below - can't post Greek font - sorry

[chr0noman]

To the memory of Brendan Moley and Brendan Burns when you [syllogiemai], my loves, I believe I have lived many times over and many times over I have died, and [ap]'? the all times I remember one only: the one where we fell together, we touched from a end of our [Irlandezikis] of flag, and headed [antama], and nor no one of us stopped, and nor no one stood it asks us, that you go,

[chr0noman]

and behind came a lot of world, and coffins covered, but [adeiana], and [manades] in blacks, and [glykeies] [arraboniastikies], children that played with the plastic balls of English from their swing already, boys that hid the arms in their bags Addis for books, and [diabainame], from city in city, and nor no one of us stopped, and nor no one stood it asks us, that you go? never [xapostasame], never [xedipsasame], only a moment we kneeled, You are now entering free Derry, And continued...

[chr0noman]

translated

In the heroes volunteers of I.R.A. I have a rifle in the wall [akoympismeno] that from his Kani come out [Irlandezika] songs of Fight [ama] you look in her you see the dark of prison, and you still touch him and burn and have above so much hands I have Kani black and untamed as [ati] that `[chei] many [antrikeioys] shoulders [ippeysei].

[chr0noman]

Hi,Attanazio from Greece. I told you that i'm one of those who say that IRA volunteers are freedom fighters and not terrorists. In the memory of the Ten Irish Martyrs,I was eleven years old, when they gave their life for Ireland,I would like to dedicate this poem witten by me two years ago.

I know that you can;t understand a thing it's the same for me trying to read Celtic lyrics. But no matter what the language is,the meaning is one:" The nobless place for man to die is where he dies for man"

[bgraybhoy]

god bless true sons of ireland rip

[1916supermc]

TIOCFAIDH AR LA ,, FREEDOM FIGHTERS .

[footmarshian]

fantastic song rip The Two Heroes

[paul1x1]

i-am-not-irish-but-i-have-stud­died-their-recent-history-awe-­inspiring-it-would-seem-the-ir­ish-have-no-problem-finding-br­ave-men-to-carry-their-fight-t­o-the-enemy-only-a-shortage-of­-weapons-i-think-if-they-can-k­eep-producing-such-men-in-such­-numbers-they-must-win-out-in-­the-end

[coka5841]

there is not better in a man then to trade his life for the better of his children, family, and friends.

[frongoch79]

God bless Bandit Country, the fight goes on..roll on 2016.

[modbairn]

the fire still burns brightly and will never fade and die!!!

[diarmuid10]

A fine oglach and martyr .

R.I.P. Ray

[garrycastle]

class boys up the ra

[conzo21]

we owe that much to moley and to burns

[peterdougie]

true ira

[ilovelyndsay]

God bless, your deaths were not in vain