Songs of Freedom: The James Connolly Songbook

by James Connolly, Mat Callahan (Editor), James Connolly Heron (Foreword)

Originally published in 1907, "Songs of Freedom" was edited by Irish republican and socialist leader James Connolly and is at once a collection of stirring revolutionary songs and a vital historical document. For the first time in 100 years, readers will find the original "Songs of Freedom" as well as the 1919 Connolly Souvenir program published in Dublin for a concert commemorating Connolly's birth. Both are reproduced exactly as they originally appeared, providing a fascinating glimpse of the workers' struggle at the beginning of the last century. To complete the picture, it also includes the "James Connolly Songbook of 1972," which contains not only the most complete selection of Connolly's lyrics but also historical background essential to understanding the context in which the songs were written and performed.

Genres: Poetry, Music, Irish Literature, History

96 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

James Connolly (Irish: Séamas Ó Conghaile) was an Irish socialist leader. He was born in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, to Irish immigrant parents. He left school for working life at the age of 11, but became one of the leading Marxist theorists of his day. Though proud of his Irish background, he also took a role in Scottish and American politics. He was executed by a British firing squad because of his leadership role in the Easter Rising of 1916.