The British have always behaved this way and brave men like Barry have always stood against them. Moreover, songs and the ceremonies surrounding them demonstrated that Ireland was a legitimate nation.

McCrory is one of 35 Irish soldiers serving the British army imprisoned in Giessen and whose voice was recorded by visiting researchers from Berlin as part of an ambitious linguistic project.

Official anthem of the Irish Free State is a ballad entitled “The Soldier’s Song,” always played when the Governor General, King George’s representative, enters the ring.