Such songs capture the imagination, encapsulate the spirit of organisation and raise morale in struggle. The origins of two internationally famous labour anthems make this point. Meath man Jim Connell’s ‘The Red Flag’ first appeared in 1899 in the Christmas edition of the Social Democratic Federation’s paper Justice in London. Within days, it was being heard across England, Scotland and South Wales. Similarly, Alfred Hayes and Earl Robinson wrote ‘I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill or ‘Joe Hill’ in 1936 and, by the end of the weekend after it was first sung in New York, it was being heard in California. It had crossed a continent at a time of no mobiles or internet! Incidentally, Jim Larkin was one of those who spoke at Joe Hill’s funeral in Chicago in 1915.
All four of these songs are universally known, recorded by many artists and sung at labour and women’s movement gatherings. They all, as it were, strike a chord politically and culturally and are very enjoyable to sing, particularly in the company of others. Where to find such songs? A good starting point is the Australian site Union Songs – which provides lyrics, brief detail on the song and its author and, in many cases, sound files. In addition, the site provides several themed e-books like that on trade union songs. For women’s songs, Kathy Henderson, Frankie Armstrong and Sandra Kerr’s My Song is My Own: 100 Women’s Songs (Pluto Press, London, 1979), remains widely available and is a valuable resource, again with lyrics and music.
For Irish labour songs, John McDonnell’s Songs of Struggle and Protest, (Gilbert Dalton, Dublin, 1979; Mercier Press, Cork, 1986; Irish Labour History Society, Dublin, 2008) stands the test of time. For years, his ‘Ballad Corner’ in the Irish Socialist brought agitational songs to public attention, maintaining the long tradition of songs and poems appearing in trade union and socialist journals. The impact of Ewan Mac Coll and Peggy Seeger’s song writing within the Irish singing tradition is enormous. Their two song books are wonderful sources, full of stories behind the songs, lyrics, music and illustration: The Essential Ewan MacColl Songbook and The Peggy Seeger songbook – Forty years of Song making. Both books are terrific investments.
