Mr. Nial Ring:

On a cursory glance at the words, one would have to be very sensitive to take them as militaristic. It is, of course, a soldier's song and includes words such as "shelter the despot or the slave" and "mid cannons' roar", but they are hardly bloodcurdling in the way the French national anthem is. I have no issue with it.

I also have no issue with the fact that the national anthem includes the words "Sinne Fianna Fáil", while Fianna Fáil is, of course, a political party. People of different political persuasions may have issues with it, but I am an independent councillor, although I come from a Fianna Fáil background. I never saw it as an issue and feel people bring it up a little mischievously. The Deputy for my area, Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan, has always had an issue with it and wants it to read, "Sinne Laochra Fáil" or "Sinne Laochra Gael". According to Mr. Daly, only 40% of people know the words of the national anthem as it is; therefore, changing the wording might cause confusion.

It was said the Department of Finance was involved, but the website of the Department of the Taoiseach which I called yesterday states the national anthem, "The Soldier's Song", was written in 1907 by Peadar Kearney, an uncle of Brendan Behan, and first published in the Irish Freedomnewspaper in 1912, although it was not widely known until it was sung at the GPO during the Easter Rising of 1916. It is stated the chorus was formally adopted as the national anthem in 1926. Despite it being the website of the Department of the Taoiseach, this information is wrong in many ways. It is not "The Soldier's Song" but "Amhrán na bhFiann". Mr. Conal Kearney will know when it was written. The website informs us that the writer was an uncle of Brendan Behan, but what has that got to do with it? Where is the mention of Liam Ring or Patrick Heeney? Unfortunately, very few of Patrick Heeney's relatives are alive and he died penniless in the north inner city. The triumvirate involved in writing the national anthem should be recognised equally. The Department of the Taoiseach's four-line piece on the national anthem is an absolute disgrace. I hope the committee will take up this matter with the Department.