On the occasion of the unveiling of the  monument to Jim Connell  in Crossakiel Co Meath on 26 April 1998, the song "The Red Flag" was sung by Jimmy Kelly, accompanied by the SIPTU band and the 1000 people gathered for the day.  He came into the recording studios of  Dublin Weekend Radio  at the  School of Communications  at  Dublin City University on 18 May 1998 to record the song for this website.  He was accompanied by Michael Hand playing  flute and Mike Mullen playing guitar, with Eoin Sweeney as sound engineer and Helena Sheehan as producer-editor.

For photos of the monument and the unveiling ceremony, click  here.     For more about Jim Connell and how he wrote "The Red Flag", as well as more  photos, click  here.  For more about how the monument came to be erected in Crossakiel, click  here.  For  links to related websites, click here.

Here is the song:

For the sound file    click  here t o download.

It is an mp2 file, 3.45 minutes, 3.1 megabytes.  It may be best to choose the save file option, select a directory on your hard drive and download.   Then open your file manager or windows explorer, click on the file and it should then play.

  > > >  (2 more sound files)

 For the sound of it being sung in Crossakiel on 26 April 1998, click here.   It is an mp2 file, 24 seconds, 344k.
 

 

The above is the Tannenbaum version.

In addition, for  The White Cockade version, recorded by Manus O'Riordan at DCU on 9 June 1998, click  here.   It is an mp2 file, 2.20 minutes, 1.9 mb.

                                            And the lyrics . . .

The people's flag is deepest red,
It shrouded oft our martyred dead,
And ere their limbs grew stiff and cold,
Their hearts blood dyed its every fold.

Then raise the scarlet standard high.  (chorus)
Within its shade we'll live and die,
Though cowards flinch and traitors sneer,
We'll keep the red flag flying here.

Look round, the Frenchman loves its blaze,
The sturdy German chants its praise,
In Moscow's vaults its hymns are sung
Chicago swells the surging throng.

It waved above our infant might,
When all ahead seemed dark as night;
It witnessed many a deed and vow,
We must not change its colour now.

It well recalls the triumphs past,
It gives the hope of peace at last;
The banner bright, the symbol plain,
Of human right and human gain.

It suits today the weak and base,
Whose minds are fixed on pelf and place
To cringe before the rich man's frown,
And haul the sacred emblem down.

With heads uncovered swear we all
To bear it onward till we fall;
Come dungeons dark or gallows grim,
This song shall be our parting hymn.
 

This is part of a now emerging website on songs of Irish labour.  Other songs, old and new, are now being recorded in DCU.  New web pages will be appearing with text, photos and sound files.  Also a CD of labour songs is currently in production here.  Featured on both will be songs by Martin Whelan.  Here is his Bread and Roses.

Has the red flag fallen ?
European socialism: a blind alley or a long and winding road ?
Grand narratives then and now : 150 years after the communist manifesto
The fate of marxism
Marxism and the philosophy of science: a critical history
World views
 

E-mail about the website: helena.sheehan@dcu.ie

E-mail for the Jim Connell Memorial Committee:  cdkeane@iol.ie

With thanks to  Jimmy Kelly, Mick Hand and Mike Mullen for coming to DCU to record the song for this website.  Also to Manus O'Riordan.

With thanks to DCU, especially to Eoin Sweeney,  Damien Hickey and Micheal Rourke,  for facilitating the production of the song.

With thanks to everyone who sang the song in Crossakiel.