Vocals, Guitar - Eddie Arndt
Violin, Vocals - Sarah-Jane Himmelsbach
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Follow Me Up To Carlow
Bardic Lyrics
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Brooding o'er the old disgrace,
That black Fitzwilliam stormed your place
And drove you to the Fern
Grey said victory was sure,
Soon the firebrand he'd secure
Until he met at Glenmalure,
Feach Mac Hugh O'Byrne
See the swords of Glen Imayle,
Flashing o'er the English Pale
See all the children of the Gael,
Beneath O'Byrne's banners
Rooster of the fighting stock,
Would you let a Saxon cock
Crow out upon an Irish rock,
Fly up and teach him manners
Curse and swear Lord Kildare
Feach will do what Feach will dare
Now Fitzwilliam, have a care
Fallen is your star low
Up with halbert, out with sword
On we go for by the Lord
Feach Mac Hugh has given his word
Follow me up to Carlow
From Tassagart to Clonmore,
Flows a stream of Saxon gore
Och, great is Rory Oge O‘More,
At sending loons to Hades
White is sick and Lane is fled,
Now for black Fitzwilliam's head
We'll send it over, dripping red,
To Liza and the ladies
words & music: trad., arr. by Eddie & Sarah-Jane
The lyrics of Bardic's song Follow Me Up to Carlow depict the story of the Irish rebellion against the English in the 16th century. The song starts by addressing Lift Mac Cahir Og, an Irish clan leader whose castle was invaded and captured by the English lord Fitzwilliam, and who is urged to take revenge. Grey, an English lord, is believed to be so confident of victory that he plans to seize a firebrand from Feach Mac Hugh O'Byrne, another Irish leader who is determined to fight back. But this turns out to be a grave miscalculation as O'Byrne leads his army to Glenmalure and defeats the English swords in battle.
The song then moves on to a call for Irish unity with a reference to the swords of Glen Imayle flashing over the English Pale, signifying an attack on the English settlements in Ireland. The rooster of the fighting stock (symbolizing the Irish) is exhorted to take on the Saxon cock (symbolizing the English) and teach it some manners. The song ends by urging Lord Kildare, a powerful Irish nobleman, to support O'Byrne's rebellion and warns Fitzwilliam that his star has fallen low. The final call to arms is to follow O'Byrne up to Carlow, a town in southeast Ireland, to further the Irish cause.
Line by Line Meaning
Lift Mac Cahir Og your face,
Brooding o'er the old disgrace,
That black Fitzwilliam stormed your place
And drove you to the Fern
Rally, Mac Cahir Og, from your despairing thoughts of the past, where that villainous Fitzwilliam attacked your home and forced you to flee to the woods.
Grey said victory was sure,
Soon the firebrand he'd secure
Until he met at Glenmalure,
Feach Mac Hugh O'Byrne
The arrogant Grey thought he had victory in the bag and would capture the rebel O'Byrne with ease, but all his confidence disappeared when he faced O'Byrne in a fierce battle at Glenmalure.
See the swords of Glen Imayle,
Flashing o'er the English Pale
See all the children of the Gael,
Beneath O'Byrne's banners
Look at the swords of the Glen Imayle soldiers, flashing over the English frontier. See how all the Irish people have united under the banner of O'Byrne.
Rooster of the fighting stock,
Would you let a Saxon cock
Crow out upon an Irish rock,
Fly up and teach him manners
Oh, ye warriors of Ireland, are you going to let those weak English invaders conquer our land and insult us on our own soil? Get up and fight back!
Curse and swear Lord Kildare
Feach will do what Feach will dare
Now Fitzwilliam, have a care
Fallen is your star low
Damn and insult Lord Kildare, for it is Feach Mac Hugh O'Byrne who will be daring and get the job done. Beware Fitzwilliam, your fortunes are turning downward.
Up with halbert, out with sword
On we go for by the Lord
Feach Mac Hugh has given his word
Follow me up to Carlow
Raise your halberds and swords, we must press forward! For the love of God, Feach Mac Hugh O'Byrne has said he will lead us, so let us follow him to Carlow and victory!
From Tassagart to Clonmore,
Flows a stream of Saxon gore
Och, great is Rory Oge O‘More,
At sending loons to Hades
Blood flows from Tassagart to Clonmore, as the English invaders fall to our swords. Oh, how great is Rory Oge O'More at sending these fools to Hades!
White is sick and Lane is fled,
Now for black Fitzwilliam's head
We'll send it over, dripping red,
To Liza and the ladies
White is sick and Lane has fled, leaving only Fitzwilliam. It is now time to take his head and send it back to England as a warning to Queen Elizabeth and her followers.
Contributed by Riley W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.