The Boys of Barr na Sraide
This song was written by Sigerson Clifford of Cahersiveen, County Kerry.
Boys of Barr na Sraida translates to “high end of the street”. It is a powerful combination of haunting melody and poem that recollects the important events and people in a man's lifetime.
Hunting for the wren is a traditional event carried out on St. Stephen’s Day by young friends and siblings.
Oh the town it climbs the mountain and looks upon the sea
At sleeping time or walking time it’s there I'd like to be
To walk again those kindly streets the place where life began
With those boys of Barr Na Sraide who hunted for the wren
With cudgels stout we roamed about to hunt for the dreolin
We searched for birds in every furze form Leitir to Dooneen
We danced for joy beneath the sky life held no print nor plan
When the boys of Barr Na Sraide went hunting for the wren
When the fields were bleeding and the rifles were aflame
To the rebel homes of Kerry the Saxon strangers came
But the boys who beat the Auxies and fought the Black and Tans
Were the boys of Barr Na Sraide who hunted for the wren
But now they toil on foreign soil where they have made their way
Deep in the heart of London town or over in Broadway
And I am left to sing their deeds and praise them while I can
Those boys of Barr Na Sraide who hunted for the wren
And here's a health to them tonight wherever they may be
By the groves of Carham river or the slopes of Bi Na Ti
John Dalaigh and Batt Andy and the Sheehans, Con and Dan
Those boys of Barr Na Sraide who hunted for the wren
When the wheel of life runs out and peace comes over me
Just take me back to that old town between the hills and sea
I'll take my rest in those green fields, the place my life began
With those boys of Barr Na Sraide who hunted for the wren