# The Spirit of the Nation

2nd edition of the compiled work from the publication of The Nation

## Volume 1

THE
SPIRIT OF THE NATION.
BY
THE WRITERS OF THE NATION NEWSPAPER.
SECOND EDITION, REVISED.
DUBLIN:
PUBLISHED BY JAMES DUFFY,
25, ANGLESEA-STREET.
MDCCCXLIV.
DUBLIN: JAMES DUFFY, 25, ANGLESEA-STREET.
PREFACE.
We offer this little volume—the materials of which have been taken from the “Nation” newspaper—freely and confidently to the people of Ireland, as the sole object of its publication is their benefit. Such a compilation was only projected after there were frequent demands for it, which will acquit the authors of vanity, as its price will fully absolve the publisher from any desire of gain in the transaction. A book that neither contemplates praise nor profit is a genuine novelty, and will, we expect, receive the “Cead mile Failte” which a stranger never asks from our countrymen in vain.
We commend it especially to the Repeal Reading-rooms and Teetotal Societies. Such of the songs as go to popular airs ought to be constantly practised by those bodies. They will find very profitable and pleasant singing for the millions among them. The other pieces may be read or recited at public dinners and soirees with scarcely less advantage. The English minister who planned the Union had a great respect for the influence of songs on a people; in which, we think, he exhibited more sagacity than in handcuffing two strong, angry men together to strengthen their connexion. However, as there is a difference of opinion on ​this point, it will be a pleasant test of his wisdom to knock one of his nuts against the other and see which of them will crack first.
It may be observed, that we have spelled some Irish words that occur in this volume somewhat differently from the usual method, that usual method being whatever way English writers thought fit to spell them for us. We have consulted the best Irish scholars, and adopted their orthography, which we expect will become general. We would be ashamed to mispell Latin, English, French, or any other foreign language, and, in the name of common sense, why not our own? It is quite as comical a blunder to write "Faugh a Ballagh" for "Fag a Bealaċ," as "Parley-voo" for "Parlez-vous," if we only thought so.
We believe there is nothing further to say, but to wish our friends a keen relish for the good things which we set before them.
Trinity-street, Dublin,  May, 1843.
∵ A second series of the “Spirit of the Nation,” being Political Songs and National Ballads by the writers of the “Nation” newspaper, is now ready. All applications must be made to the Publisher, James Duffy, 25, Anglesea-street, as, in future, the publication will be conducted in his establishment.
CONTENTS.
| Names of Pieces. | Airs. | Authors' Signatures. | Page. |
| Ourselves Alone | Mrs. Casey | Slievegullion | 1 |
| The Men of Tipperary | Nora Criena | The Celt | 3 |
| Sonnet | | E. N. Shannon | 4 |
| The Munster War Song | The Old Woman tossed up in a Blanket | Shamrock | 5 |
| The Monopolists' Lie | | Theta | 7 |
| Grainne Ṁaol | Grainne Ṁaol | H——— | 8 |
| Fag a Bealaċ | | Black Northern | 11 |
| Epigram | | Terræ Filius | 12 |
| O'Connell | | T. C. D. | 13 |
| The Exterminator's Song | I am the Gipsy King. | Gracchus | 13 |
| The United Irishmen | The Siege of Belleisle | Fermoy | 15 |
| The Vow of Tipperary | Nora Criena | The Celt | 16 |
| Father Mathew | | ————— | 17 ​ |
| Epigram | | Black Northern | 18 |
| What's my Thought like? | | M. P. | 19 |
| The Grave of Bric | | J. M. C. | 20 |
| The Nation's First Number | Rory O'More | Terræ Filius | 22 |
| Epigram | | Terræ Filius | 23 |
| Nation's Valentine | Molly, my Dear | Shamrock | 24 |
| Epigram | | Terræ Filius | 25 |
| Lament for the Brave | Savourneen Deelish | Montanus | 26 |
| Epigram | | S——— | 26 |
| New Natural Philosophy | | Terræ Filius | 27 |
| My Land | The winsome wee thing | The Celt | 28 |
| The Song of Ulster | The Yeomen of Bucks | Black Northern | 29 |
| Song for Irishmen | Gramachree | Cuchcullin | 31 |
| A Traveller's Testimony | | Theta | 32 |
| Lines on a Rock | | R. G.——— | 32 |
| Awake and lie Dreaming no more | Savourneen Deelish | J. Coen | 34 |
| Tyrol and Ireland | | Theta | 35 |
| Death of Owen Roe | The last rose of Summer | The Celt | 36 |
| Epigram | | T. C. D. | 37 |
| O'Connell | | Astrea | 38 |
| The Coquette | | Gracchus | 39 |
| My Grave | | The Celt | 40 |
| The Ulster Septs | Castle Tirowen | Cuchcullin | 41 ​ |
| Dalcassian's War Song | Fag a Bealaċ | M. J. M'C | 43 |
| The Curse of the Renegades | Garryowen | Theta | 44 |
| The Saxon Shilling | Paddy Carey | K. T. B. | 45 |
| Irish War Song, 1843 | Minstrel Boy | W——— | 46 |
| When Britain first | Rule, Britannia | The Celt | 48 |
| The Memory of the Dead | Auld Lang Syne | S———, T.C.D. | 48 |
| Western War Song | Meeting of the Waters | Shamrock | 50 |
| The House that Paddy Built | | M. P. | 51 |
| Punchification | | Terræ Filius | 54 |
| The Leinster War Song | Araby's Daughter | Shamrock | 55 |
| The Botanic Gardens | | W. M. Downes | 57 |
| Erin our Own | Corravoth Jig | Fermoy | 58 |
| The Voice of the Nation | Black Joke | Slievegullion | 60 |
| Portrait from the Peerage | | Gracchus | 61 |
| Epigram | | Terræ Filius | 62 |
| Song of Sorrow | | Black Northern | 63 |
| The Saxon Massacre | | M. J. M'C | 63 |
| O'Sullivan's Return | Cruiskeen Lawn | The Celt | 64 |
| The Extermination | | Shamrock | 67 |
| The Clanconnell Warsong | Roderich Vich Alpine | M. J. M'C | 68 |
| The Death of Sarsfield | Logie O'Buchan | The Celt | 70 |
| The Trampled Land | | H——— | 70 ​ |
| Boyhood's Years | | Clericus | 73 |
| Literary Leisure | | Black Northern | 74 |
| The Spirit of the Times | | Black Northern | 74 |
| The Irish Catholic | | Slievegullion | 75 |

## Volume 2

DUBLIN: JAMES DUFFY. 25, ANGLESEA-STREET.
PREFACE.
When we ventured, within a few months after the “Nation” was started, to reprint the Poetry of it, we did an unprecedented thing, and one said to be of doubtful prudence. The Newspaper to be sure had succeeded, but it seemed a trial ruinous to these verses and injurious to the paper to expose its weekly miscellanies to the test of permanent criticism. “They are light cavalry,” said a friend; “they have charged famously for once, you’ll find them jaded hacks when wheeled again into line.” We trusted, them and published.
Yet their success has surprised us. We hardly hoped that their popularity could extend beyond our own class and country. But the Tory has praised them more than the Liberal, the anti-Repealer as much as the Nationalist, while their success in foreign countries has at least equalled their success here. Mr. O’Connell thought the ballads “very good,” Mr. Shaw “most able,” Mr. Butt “inspired.” The Irish press thought them excellent for Ireland, but the Morning Post said they were “superior to anything they had supposed to exist at present;” the Leeds Times thought them “great achievements,” and the Tablet called them “the music ​of the battle-field.” To ascend higher, the Dublin Review says, they are “vigorous and bold,” “fitted to grasp the nation;” the Quarterly found in them “great beauty of language and imagery,” and Fraser declared that though they are “mischievous” it “dare not condemn them they are so full of beauty.”
The First Part of the Spirit of the Nation has gone through two editions here; has been bought by men of all creeds and kinds, from the peasantry to the peerage, the soldier and policeman to the Quartermaster-General, from Tom Moore to Thresham Gregg.
The American papers regularly reprint our verses week by week, and a large edition of the Spirit of the Nation has been issued in New York, and sold throughout the United States, and Canada.
Our little book of rhymes has been circulated enough, and praised enough, then, fully to justify the novel course we took in reprinting them, and the authors may be content with their fame.
This register of what occurred as to the first part is our justification for printing a second. Whether the praise we have got or shall get be deserved or not, sure we are that whoever gives the people of Ireland a lyric literature racy of the soil, reflecting its scenery and manners, blended with its history and panting with its hopes, will marshal them to independence in an array which prosecutions cannot encounter nor armies overthrow. National lyrics to be perfect should be linked ​with music, that the people's heart knows and beats to. This union we hope to see effected, but whether our verses are worthy of such an alliance time alone can tell. We shall say nothing more.
Trinity-street, Dublin,
 November, 1843.
∵ The Prose "Spirit of the Nation" is being prepared for the press.
A series of sketches of distinguished Irishmen, by the same hands, will also be published shortly.
CONTENTS.
| Names of Pieces. | Airs. | Authors' Signatures. | Page. |
| The Voice of Labour | Weep on, weep on | The Black Northern | 1 |
| Song of the Volunteers of 1782 | The Boyne Water | The Celt | 3 |
| Young Ireland | Fare thee well, my own dear Love | Slievegullion | 5 |
| Epigram | | Brutus | 6 |
| The Battle of Beal-an-ath-Buidh | And doth not a meeting like this | W. D—— | 7 |
| Song for July 12th | As vanquished Erin | J. Ff—— | 9 |
| An Arms' Bill Ballad | Farewell, but whenever you welcome the hour | Anon | 10 |
| Hymn of Freedom | | Brutus | 11 |
| The Anti-Irish Irishman | The Irishman | H. H—— | 12 |
| The Arms of '82 | | Brutus | 14 |
| Stand Together | Highland Laddie | Beta | 15 |
| The Squire's Complaint | The night before Larry was stretched | Anon | 16 |
| The Gathering of Leinster, 1643 | Cailin das crutheen na mbo | Shamrock | 17 |
| The West's Asleep | The Brink of the White Rocks | The Celt | 19 |
| The Wexford Massacre, 1649 | | Brutus | 20 ​ |
| The Union | Alley Croker | Slievegullion | 21 |
| The Songs of the Nation | Sheela ni Guira | W——— | 23 |
| The Forlorn Hope | Cruisgin Lán | O'K——— | 24 |
| The Voice of Tara | The Rose Tree | W——— | 25 |
| The Muster of the North, 1641 | | The Black Northern | 27 |
| The Slaves' Bill | After the Battle | | 31 |
| Song of the Irish Army, 1689 | | Jacobite | 32 |
| A Voice from America | | Festis | 33 |
| The Peasant Girls | Come, chase that darling tear away. (French Air.) | Anon | 33 |
| Steady | | Shamrock | 35 |
| The Gathering of the Nation | | J. Ff——— | 36 |
| The Lion and the Serpent. A Fable | | Shamrock | 38 |
| Erin Aboo | They may rail at this life | Brutus | 39 |
| Song of the Penal Days. (Translated) | Chreevin evin | W——— | 41 |
| A Rally for Ireland. May, 1689 | | The Celt | 42 |
| The Irish Arms' Bill | 'Tis believed that this harp | W. D——— | 44 |
| The Invocation | When through life unblest we rove | J. S. O'S——— | 45 |
| Paddies Evermore | Paddies Evermore | Slievegullion | 47 |
| The Shan Van Vocth, 1176 | | Eiranach | 49 |
| Epigram | | The Black Northern | 50 ​ |
| The Harp of the Nation | Molli a Stór | W——— | 51 |
| Ninety-Eight | There is nae luck | W——— | 52 |
| The Men of Twenty-Five | When my Old Cap was New | J. K——— | 53 |
| A Rude Repeal Melody | | J. S. O'S | 54 |
| Epigram | | The Black Northern | 54 |
| The Vision | | Shamrock | 56 |
| A Health | Sally in our alley | J. Ff——— | 58 |
| Devil may care | Head of Denis | J. K——— | 59 |
| Adieu to Innisfail | Cruisgin Lán | Shamrock | 60 |
| English Schools and Irish Pupils | | Patricius | 62 |
| English and Irish Eyes | Jock of Hazeldeen | W. M——— | 64 |
| Epigram | | T. C. D. | 65 |
| The Patriot's Wife | Whene'er I see those smiling eyes | Clericus | 66 |
| Winter | | Shamrock | 67 |
| Epigram | | Brutus | 68 |
| Love Song | How sweet the answer Echo makes | The Black Northern | 69 |
| The Rath of Mullaghmast | Weep for the hour | Shamrock | 70 |
| Young England to Young Ireland | Sail on, sail on | Serle | 72 |
| The Irish Maiden to her Lover | | Lesbia | 74 |
| O'Nial's Vow | | Eiranach | 75 |
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse