The Fields Of Athenry - Paddy Reilly, 1984

Paddy Reilly performs ‘The Fields of Athenry’.

Folk singer Paddy Reilly performs his latest hit single ‘The Fields of Athenry’. Previously his most successful song was ‘The Town I Loved So Well’ composed by Phil Coulter.

‘The Fields of Athenry’ is a folk ballad written by Dublin singer Pete St John in 1979. It was a 1982 hit for The Barleycorn.

The song set during the Great Famine of the 1840s, tells the story of a young couple Michael and Mary from Athenry in County Galway. To feed his wife and child, Michael steals corn from British civil servant Sir Charles Edward Trevelyan. He is caught in the act and deported to the penal colony at Botany Bay in Australia.

‘The Fields of Athenry’ has since become a widely known, popular anthem for Irish sports supporters.

‘The Music Show’ was a twelve-part series that featured classical, traditional and pop music played by Irish musicians. The first episode was broadcast on 14 October 1983. A second 12-part series began on 20 January 1984.

This episode of ‘The Music Show’ was broadcast on 3 February 1984. It was recorded in October 1983.

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