On a warm weekend in Stradbally, thousands of people, mostly under the age of 25, sang and danced to one of the hottest acts of the year. After they overloaded the Electric Stage the year before, it was only a matter of time before they'd be invited to the main stage for the first time. They’ve courted controversy, gone viral, and had a myriad of hits over the past few years.
No, I’m not talking about Calvin Harris, Raye, or even American megastar Noah Kahan. I’m, of course, talking about the Wolfe Tones, in their sixtieth year of touring.
How does this even happen? A rebel band that was active before the Kennedy assassination drew the biggest crowd of young wans at Ireland’s biggest festival, much more than TikTok viral sensations like Dasha, Ryan McMullan or Teddy Swims.
What could three men well into 70s and 80s singing Irish Republican songs like A Nation Once Again and The Men Behind The Wire have in common with Generation Alpha?
The old adage "no publicity is bad publicity" continues to be relevant, even with bands as long in the tooth as the boys from Dublin. The band hadn’t charted for 17 years between 2003 and 2020 before the song Come Out Ye Black And Tans was used as a protest song against plans from the Irish Government to commemorate the Royal Irish Constabulary.
But it was in 2022,as COVID continued to impede plans, when the Irish women's national football team was filmed singing the chorus of Celtic Symphony that the reappraisal of the Wolfe Tones really started to kick off.
It had all the ingredients of the perfect recipe for viral success. A young team of women leading Ireland to their first World Cup tournament being made to apologise by the establishment? All for singing a song recorded 35 years ago, older than many of the women on the pitch? It was only natural that young people would see this as an indignation, an attempt to tear down a team that had made them so proud only 24 hours before.
A sure-fire way to get the younger generation to do something is to tell them they shouldn’t, and when the wider establishment tells you that a song shouldn’t be listened to due to its controversial lyrical content in an era where music is at its most accessible, it was inevitable the song would shoot to number one.
For some, there’s a degree of nostalgia with the Wolfe Tones. Growing up in rural Donegal, I heard a medley of their biggest hits regularly in pubs and clubs across the county from when I was only a wean. I saw the band both last year and this year at Electric Picnic, and I can definitely confirm the electric atmosphere, despite some technical and musical issues.
With their farewell gig coming on October 13th, a sold-out 3Arena filled to the brim of nineteen-year-olds in Celtic jerseys and tricolours capes will say goodbye to Ireland’s longest running ballad band. The question remains, however, if their renewed success will continue once the last string is strummed, and the allure of taking part in anti-establishmentarian karaoke is no longer a viable option.
That said, did we mention that Liam Gallagher wants them to open for Oasis at Croke Park next summer?
The Wolfe Tones play three sold-out shows at 3Arena Dublin from 11-13 October.
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