Commentary
104 Villains of Irish Music
During the hundreds of years of Irish traditional music, Irish folk songs have identified many bad guys.
Below are 104 of them, each with a link to a moment in the song where the villain is identified.
1. The Landlady
"The Wild Rover"
2. The Landlord
“Skibbereen”
“The Waterford Boys”
3. The Landlords
“The Ballad of John Williams”
4. The Sheriff
“Skibbereen”
5. Gombeen Men
“Radio Toor-I-Li-Ay”
6. The Gombeen Man
“The Gombeen Man”
7. The Excise Men
“The Hills of Connemara”
8. The Customs
“Flash The Lights At Me”
9. The Countryman
“Step It Out Mary”
10. England
“The West’s Asleep”
“Outlawed Rapparee”
11. Mother England
“God Bless England”
12. Cruel England
“The Patriot Game”
13. John Bull
“The Patriot Game”
14. Britannia’s Sons / Britannia’s Huns
“The Foggy Dew”
15. Black and Tans
“Come Out Ye Black and Tans”
“Rifles of the IRA”
16. Strangers
“Four Green Fields”
17. The Strangers
“Galway Bay”
18. The Saxon
"Benedy Glen"
19. The Saxons
"Off To Dublin In The Green"
20. Base Alien Mongrels
"Benedy Glen"
21. Oliver Cromwell
“Young Ned of the Hill”
22. Cromwell’s Men
“The Men Behind The Wire”
23. Yeomen
“Boulavogue”
24. Yeoman Cavalry
“The Croppy Boy”
25. The RUC
“Impartial Police Force”
26. Trevelyan
“The Fields of Athenry”
27. Foreign Chains
“The Wind That Shakes the Barley”
28. The Foeman
“The Minstrel Boy”
29. The Foreman
“Botany Bay”
30. McAlpine
“McAlpine’s Fusiliers”
31. The Recruiting Sergeant
“The Recruiting Sergeant”
32. Sergeant Napper
“Arthur McBride”
33. Corporal Vamp
“Arthur McBride”
34. Little Wee Drummer
“Arthur McBride”
35. Dirty Flanders Bullet
“Johnny Mcgory”
36. White
“Follow Me Up To Carlow”
37. Gray
“Follow Me Up To Carlow”
38. Black Fitzwilliam
“Follow Me Up To Carlow”
39. Queen Liza
“Follow Me Up To Carlow”
40. The King
“The Wild Colonial Boy”
41. Vengeful Tyrants
“God Save Ireland”
42. Lord Cornwall
“The Croppy Boy”
43. Kelly
“The Wild Colonial Boy”
44. Davis
“The Wild Colonial Boy”
45. Fitzroy
“The Wild Colonial Boy”
46. Margaret Thatcher
“Transit Van”
47. The Butcher’s Apron
“The Butcher’s Apron”
48. The Crown
“Fields of Athenry”
49. The Forces of The Crown
“Irish Soldier Laddie”
50. The Peelers
“Pat of Mullingar”
51. British Soldiers
“Kevin Barry”
52. The Prince of Wales
“The Irish Volunteers”
53. Some Dirty Savage
“Nell Flaherty’s Drake”
54. The Empire
“Rock On Rockall"
55. The Judges
“Streets of Sorrow / Birmingham Six”
56. The Coppers
“Streets of Sorrow / Birmingham Six”
57. The Screws
“Streets of Sorrow / Birmingham Six”
58. The Policeman
"The Ballad of 90 Eggs"
59. Napoleon
“Ducks of Magheralin”
60. The Famine
“Fields of Athenry”
61. The Sickness
“Giant Land”
62. Quislings
“The Patriot Game”
63. Every Foe and Traitor
“The Rising of the Moon”
64. Lackies
65. West Britons
“Radio Toor-I-Li-Ay”
66. Free Staters
“Take It Down From The Mast”
“Galtee Mountain Boy”
67. The Turk
“The Errant Apprentice”
68. Johnny Turk
"And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda"
69. The Garda Car
“The Garda Car”
70. A Fever
“Molly Malone”
71. Unemployment
“Transit Van”
72. Emigration
“Noreen Bawn”
73. Your Cruel Father
“Mary From Dungloe”
74. My Aged Father
“The Croppy Boy”
75. My Own First Cousin
“The Croppy Boy”
76. The Eldest Sister
“Two Sisters”
77. Jack and Tom
“The Black Sheep"
78. Wife
“William Bloat”
79. Old Woman From Wexford
“Old Woman From Wexford”
80. False-Hearted Woman
“Brennan On The Moor”
81. A Pretty Girl
“Right All Right”
82. The Black Velvet Band
“Black Velvet Band”
83. Mary Ann Maguire
“The Errant Apprentice”
84. Miss Henrietta Bell
“Courtin’ in the Kitchen”
85. Jenny
“Whiskey In The Jar"
86. Captain Farrell
“Whiskey in the Jar”
87. The Miller
“Two Sisters”
88. William Bloat
“William Bloat”
89. The Hangman
“Kevin Barry”
90. Jack Catch
“The Night Before Larry Was Stretched”
91. The Rent
“Skibbereen”
92. Taxes
“Skibbereen”
93. Hunger
“Waxie’s Dargle”
94. Poverty
“Paddy’s Lamentation”
95. Murderin’ Cannons
“Paddy’s Lamentation”
96. Cannon Ball
“My Son John / After the Battle of Aughrim”
97. Wise Men
“The Bold Fenian Men”
98. Gray Unyielding Concrete
“Dublin In The Rare Auld Times”
99. Progress
“Dublin In The Rare Auld Times”
100. Student Chap
“Dublin In The Rare Auld Times”
101. The Cruel Sea
“Donegal Danny”
102. Coffin Ship
“Thousands Are Sailing”
103. Sergeant Death
“The Bard of Armagh”
104. Nancy Whiskey
“Nancy Whiskey”
Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments below.
