Athenry
Pete St John - writer of "The Fields of Athenry" Memories of Inishmaan led me east of Galway to the little market town of Athenry. It appears on the very edge of the map I put at the head of my last post. Athenry is a sleepy place that may have remained unremarkable in its obscurity were it not for a song written in the nineteen seventies by a man called Peter Mooney whose stage name was Pete St John. That song, "The Fields of Athenry" reflects on past injustices and perhaps how the potato famine and forced transportation affected ordinary lives. It is a very simple song but the chorus has lifted so many hearts, creating a supernatural sense of togetherness and identity - mostly in those who have Ireland in their blood. It is sung in stadiums by Liverpool supporters, Celtic supporters and The Irish national rugby team to name but three:- Low lie the fields of Athenry Where once we watched the small free birds fly Our love was on the wing we had dreams and ...