Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This classic collection is a discussion of songs that gave utterance to the opinions and feelings of an important part of the Irish people in political, social, and religious feelings. First published in 1966, this is a new edition with corrections and additional notes. The songs, which were within the reach of all strands of society, were not only an expression of the singers' and listeners' feelings or opinions but also a form of propaganda. And when printers invested in them with the production of broadsheets and booklets, they became an industry. Thus, as the author states in his introduction, they are a curious melting pot for different kinds of literature or sub-literature.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction (p. 9)
• Part 1
• I. Blind violence and vain hopes (p. 15)
• The Irish peasantry before the Land War: the agrarian system, the famine, agrarian agitation, the secret societies, the Tithe War, the party fights (p. 15)
• Ballad-makers and ballad-mongers (p. 19)
• Heroes and villains: the highwayman, the man on the run, the peaceable farmer driven to despair, the avenger; the informer (p. 24)
• Curses and phophecies. A miraculous future: the liberating fleet, the exiles' return, Napoleon as a potential liberator (p. 27)
• Analogies with episodes from the Bible (p. 33)
• II. Popular nationalism and unsuccessful risings (p. 35)
• The beginnings of political balladry in Ireland: the Volunteers, the United Irishmen and Paddy's Resource, the rising of 1798, the Union, Robert Emmet (p. 35)
• The Liberty Tree and the Wearing of the Green (p. 41)
• Emancipation. Sectarian feeling in songs (p. 43)
• Repeal. Songs on Daniel O'Connell. 1848. Fenianism (p. 46)
• The street singers and politics. The attitude of the police (p. 49)
• Cryptic expression and allegory: Ireland as a woman, popular leaders as animals (p. 52)
• III. Political realism and blood sacrifice (p. 59)
• The Land War. Home Rule. Songs on Parnell (p. 59)
• The ballads on the Phoenix Park murders (p. 62)
• The fall of Parnell. Anticlericalism in songs (p. 63)
• Ballads on the Boer War (p. 65)
• The type of the idealistic rebel. The hero's mother (p. 66)
• Sinn Fein and 1916 (p. 67)
• 'The Memory of the Dead'; the martyr for Ireland (p. 69)
• Aftermath of 1916 and songs of the 1920's (p. 72)
• IV. Romantic patriotism and literary imitations of street balladry (p. 75)
• Political balladry as propaganda. Street songs as a source of inspiration for writers (p. 75)
• Thomas Moore (p. 76)
• The Young Irelanders: The Nation and The Spirit of the Nation (p. 78)
• Romanticizing the past (p. 81)
• Patriotic writers in the second half of the nineteenth century (p. 82)
• Return to 'come-all-ye' balladry. W.B. Yeat's political ballads (p. 83)
• The Rose theme (p. 84)
• V. The form of the songs (p. 87)
• Some usual patterns: the aisling, the pastourelle and the reverdie, the dream, the debat, the execution song, the hunting song, the alphabet song (p. 88)
• The narrative technique of the broadside ballads (p. 96)
• Pseudolearned allusions (p. 98)
• Peculiarities of the Anglo-Irish dialect and of ballad phraseology (p. 99)
• Prosodic peculiarities of the Irish broadside ballads: internal rhymes, influence of dialectal pronunciation (p. 104)
• The tunes (p. 108)
• Techniques of singing (p. 113)
• Part 2
• A selection of Irish political songs and ballads (p. 117)
• 1. The Blackbird (p. 119)
• 2. The Volunteers' March (p. 122)
• 3. Ireland's Glory (p. 123)
• 4. Freedom Triumphant (p. 125)
• 5. Plant, Plant the Tree (p. 127)
• 6. Blaris Moor (p. 129)
• 7. The Shan Van Vocht (p. 133)
• 8. Edward (p. 138)
• 9. Dunlavin Green (p. 140)
• 10. Come all you Warriors (p. 142)
• 11. Some treat of David (p. 144)
• 12. Billy Byrne of Ballymanus (p. 149)
• 13. The Song of Prosperous (p. 150)
• 14. Captain Doorley and the Boyne (p. 152)
• 15. Michael Boylan (p. 154)
• 16. General Munroe (p. 156)
• 17. Rody MacCorly (p. 158)
• 18. Rouse, Hibernians (p. 160)
• 19. The Croppy Boy (I) (p. 161)
• 20. The Rambler from Clare (p. 165)
• 21. Green on my Cape--The Wearing of the Green (p. 167)
• 22. The Suit of Green (p. 170)
• 23. Bold McDermott (p. 172)
• 24. The Banished Defender (p. 173)
• 25. My Emmet's no more (p. 175)
• 26. The Patriot Queen (p. 176)
• 27. Erin's Green Shore (p. 178)
• 28. The Young Man's Dream (p. 180)
• 29. The New Granuwale (p. 182)
• 30. The Green Linnet (Napoleon) (p. 184)
• 31. The Royal Eagle (p. 186)
• 32. The New Bunch of Loughero--The Bonny Bunch of Roses, O (p. 188)
• 33. The Banishment of Patrick Brady (p. 192)
• 34. Owen Rooney's Lamentation (p. 194)
• 35. The Battle that was fought in the North (p. 195)
• 36. The Lamentation of James O'Sullivan (p. 196)
• 37. A Discussion between Church and Chapel (p. 198)
• 38. The Sorrowful Lamentation of Denis Mahony (p. 200)
• 39. The Noble Ribbon Boys (p. 201)
• 40. The Castlepollard Massacre (p. 203)
• 41. The Barrymore Tithe Victory (p. 204)
• 42. Slieve Na Mon (p. 206)
• 43. Fergus O'Connor and Independence (p. 208)
• 44. The Grey Horse--The Grey Mare (p. 210)
• 45. The Peeler and the Goat (p. 213)
• 46. The Ass's Complaint--The Ass and the Orangeman's Daughter (p. 215)
• 47. Dicky in the Yeomen (p. 218)
• 48. Billy's Downfall (p. 220)
• 49. The Saxon Shilling (p. 222)
• 50. Glorious Repeal Meeting held at Tara Hill (p. 224)
• 51. The Memory of the Dead (p. 226)
• 52. The Croppy Boy (II) (p. 228)
• 53. The Sorrowful Lamentation of those Poor Convicts (p. 230)
• 54. Erin's King, or Daniel is no more (p. 231)
• 55. The Kerry Eagle (p. 233)
• 56. Erin's Green Linnet (p. 235)
• 57. The Emigrant's Farewell to Donegal (p. 236)
• 58. A new song on the Rotten Potatoes (p. 237)
• 59. Mitchel's Address (p. 239)
• 60. Granua's Lament for the Loss of her Blackbird Mitchel (p. 240)
• 61. The Escape of Meagher (p. 242)
• 62. A Lament written on the Dreadful Massacre of Sixmilebridge (p. 243)
• 63. Patrick Sheehan (p. 245)
• 64. The Lamentation of the two Cormacks (p. 248)
• 65. McKenna's Dream (p. 250)
• 66. The Irish Harvest Men's Triumph (p. 253)
• 67. Ireland's Liberty Tree (p. 255)
• 68. The General Fox Chase (p. 257)
• 69. The Rising of the Moon (p. 259)
• 70. Rossa's Farewell (p. 261)
• 71. Burke's Dream (p. 262)
• 72. The Smashing of the Van (p. 263)
• 73. A Lamentation on Allen, Larkin and O'Brien (p. 265)
• 74. God Save Ireland (p. 266)
• 75. Rory of the Hill (p. 268)
• 76. Bold Jack O'Donoghue (p. 269)
• 77. Poor Old Granuaile (p. 272)
• 78. Harvey Duff (p. 273)
• 79. The Land League's Advice (p. 274)
• 80. A new song on Michael Davitt (p. 275)
• 81. The Blackbird of Avondale (p. 277)
• 82. The Shooting of Bailey (p. 279)
• 83. The Green Linnet (Davitt) (p. 280)
• 84. Lamentable Lines on J. Brady and D. Curley (p. 281)
• 85. Skin-the-Goat's Curse on Carey (p. 282)
• 86. Patrick O'Donnell (p. 284)
• 87. A new song entitled the Kerry Eviction (p. 286)
• 88. Moonlight Attack on Curtin's House (p. 287)
• 89. We won't hear our Leader run down (p. 289)
• 90. Father Murphy of the County Wexford (Boulavogue) (p. 290)
• 91. The Last Moments of Robert Emmet (Bold Robert Emmet) (p. 292)
• 92. John McBride's Brigade (p. 293)
• Part 3
• The songs of the 'loyal' party
• a) A note on Orange songs and ballads (p. 295)
• b) A selection of Orange songs and ballads (p. 306)
• 93. Lisnagade (p. 306)
• 94. Croppies lie down (p. 307)
• 95. The Tree of Liberty (p. 310)
• 96. Dolly's Brae (p. 311)
• 97. The Grand Mystic Order (p. 314)
• 98. The Aughalee Heroes (p. 315)
• 99. The Murder of McBriars (p. 317)
• 100. A new loyal song against Home Rule (p. 319)
• Bibliography (p. 321)
• Index of songs (p. 335)
• Index of names (p. 341)

Author notes provided by Syndetics