The Wolfe Tones - Protestant Men

British propaganda paints the conflict in the north of Ireland to the world as a religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. This is false. The British occupation of Ireland is the root cause of the conflict, not religion. This video details some of the many Protestant Irish republicans who founded Irish Republicansim and fought against British rule in Ireland.

This song is about the United Irishmen rebellion in 1798 when Protestants and Catholics joined forces to try to free Ireland from British rule. Many Protestants throught the centuries have played important roles in the Republican movment, right from its foundation. The Orange in the Irish tricolour represents Protestants, The founding father of Irish Republicanism, Wolfe Tone was a Protestant. Pics also include some of the many protestant republicans throughout the centuries.

Pics of Protestant Republicans (in order) -

James Napper Tandy- United Irishmen

Robert Erskine Childers- Sinn Féin

Henry Joy McCracken- United Irishmen

Theobald Wolfe Tone- United Irishmen
(and founder of Irish republicanism)

John Mitchell - Young Irelanders

Charles Stewart Parnell - Irish
Parlimentary Party

Noel Lyttle- INLA

Jack White - IRA

George Plant- IRA

Ronnie Bunting - INLA

John Martin - Young Irelanders

Lord Edward FitzGerald - United Irishmen

Robert Emmet - United Irishmen



The IRA had many protestant members.

The IRA in Belfast had Protestant commanders nicknamed 'The Prod Squad' This included Billy Smith, Rex Thompson and John Graham.

Jack White was another protestant IRA member from Broughshane, Co. Antrim who had previously founded the Irish Citizen Army. Erskine Childers was a protestant IRA member, as was George Plant and George Gilmore from Portadown. Bulmer Hobson from Holywood Co. Down was a leading member of the Irish Volunteers and IRB. He also helped to found the Fianna na hEireann youth movement.

Protestants from the loyalist shankill road also were invloved in the Republican Congress in the 1930's.

Ronnie Bunting was a protestant IRA member who went on to found the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Noel Lyttle was also a Protestant member of the INLA

Sinn Féin have an protestant ex-orangeman, Billy Leonard who is elected in Coleraine, Co. Derry.

In 1905 the Sinn Fein party was co-founded by Edward Martyn, who served as its first President.

The Sam Maguire Cup, the biggest prize in Gaelic Football, is named after another famous protestant Irish Republican. Sam Maguire was the man who recruited Michael Collins into the IRB


Protestant Men (Lyrics)

It was back in history's page, the story's told of Napper Tandy brave and bold
With his scarlet and green, he then was seen with his big long gun and his fighting men
They did beat upon the drum, they fired their gun and shook the English establishment
And the Lords and the Peers they then took fears and Grattan got his Parliament

So here's to those brave Protestant Men
Who gave their lives to free our land
All the people they sang their praises then
For the brave United Irishmen

In Belfast town there lived a man and his name was Samuel Neilson
A minister's son, Presbyterian, and the paper called the Northern Star
There was Henry Joy, the Green Volunteers and Thomas Russell and McCabe and McTeir
And to them was known a man Wolfe Tone and they formed the first United Men

So here's to those brave Protestant Men
Who gave their lives to free our land
All the people they sang their praises then
For the brave United Irishmen

So your laws with dragons teeth and then you'll see you've sowed the seeds of bigotry
Be Englands fool divide they'll rule so they set to break the United Men
And they killed them in the fields and some in jail and some upon the Gallows high
When Willie Orr did die his very last cry was "Unite and fight brave Irishmen"

So here's to those brave Protestant Men
Who gave their lives to free our land
All the people they sang their praises then
For the brave United Irishmen

Cast dissensions to the wind let all men lend to the common name of an Irishman
For across historys page to rant and rage men crossed the pails of bigotry
There was the men of '98 no sadder fate, Lord Edward, Tone and the brothers Sheres
It was Emmet's plea in 18 and 3 when he tried to set our country free

So here's to those brave Protestant Men
Who gave their lives to free our land
All the people they sang their praises then
For the brave United Irishmen

Category:

Music

Tags:

• wolfe
• tones
• protestant
• catholic
• eire
• irish
• rebel
• united
• ireland
• irishmen

[thomasishere09]

have to say tom thats a brilliant picture at 1.02 what year was it ?

[TomBarry192I]

@thomasishere09 Yeah thats primark on the left lol. Not too sure about the year but going by quality of the picture im guessing early 1900's.

[TheGlenmanusskinhead]

well i hope those soo called brave probs where better than the u.v.f prods that shot dead my cousin in portadown :( omg they must have changed ? this song makes them out 2 b some kind of heros ? :( is it not a fact the prods of ( ulster ) caused over 3k lives here in the north and south of ireland ? with their lies to the brit goverment about the evil protesters in derry ? or am i only dreaming ? myb these people are innocent ? as if omg are u lot getting brainwashed as well ? by these folk ?

[irishmckiddo]

@r25vs40 that is great to hear lad, long live irish protestants

[nikkithescaff1]

@r25vs40 well said

[TheNormankingdom]

Proud Irishmen

[sinner1769]

@DrKorn5

Thats not true.

[WAXY950]

@sinner1769 why post to youreslf loony ?

[sinner1769]

@sinner1769 war against England. The British army also has a large debt. They killed innocence too often especially on Bloody sunday when peaceful protestors were not only shot, but executed at close range. The British government has apologised correctly but theyll never gain the forgivness of the communities affected.

In summary it isnt gonna be next week and it probably wont be smooth. As an Irishman I think timing is crucial and to have it now would be a disaster.

[sinner1769]

@sinner1769 dont. Also heritage. People from a Unionist background really have little common heritage with those in ireland so naturally dont support a United Ireland.

As for the IRA, they are not held as heroes everywhere. I am a Republican and I condemn the IRA for a lot of the things they did. The Provos were born out of a need to defend the community. Fair enough and well played. However, the IRA should beg forgivness for every innocent person killed that wanted nothing to do with their