The Wolfe Tones is an Irish rebel music band that incorporates elements of … Read Full Bio ↴The Wolfe Tones is an Irish rebel music band that incorporates elements of Irish traditional music. Formed in 1963, their most recognizable line-up that lasted for nearly 37 years until January 2001 was brothers Brian Warfield and Derek Warfield, and Noel Nagle, and Tommy Byrne. The band take its name from the Irish rebel and patriot Theobald Wolfe Tone, one of the leaders of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, with the double entendre of a wolf tone – a spurious sound that can affect instruments of the violin family.

It was in 1963 that three neighbouring children from a quiet working-class Dublin suburb, Inchicore, brothers Brian and Derek and a pal Noel Nagle started playing round the fleadhs of Ireland more for fun than anything else. They used to get together at weekends playing Fleadh cheoils or music festivals, mainly as a pastime. Thoughts of fame and riches were a world away.

Brian and Noel had taken tin whistle lessons at the Pipers Club in Thomas Street in Dublin, while Derek took up the mandolin for no better reason than his father played it. During the summer of 1963 the four of them had hitch-hiked across Ireland, from Dublin to Kerry, for a weekend at a Fleadh Ceoil, an annual gathering of traditional Irish musicians where there's lashings of drink and non-stop music. The lads were really there for the beer although they did play and sing, but only for their own amusement.

Brian Warfield recalls what happened next: "I remember arriving in Killarney fairly late at night and looking around for somewhere to bed down. It was two o'clock in the morning as we trooped through the streets of the town and probably, because we had a few drinks in us, we started to play and sing. It was August and there were still some people on the streets. A few of them gathered around us as we sang and after a dozen tunes a fella with an American accent came up and asked us if we knew some song or other. We knew it - and played it for him."

In 2002 Derek Warfield left the group to pursue a solo career but the rump of The Wolfe Tones still tour constantly, usually appearing at small function halls. However, 2004 was their last tour year doing that. They continue to tour as a three-piece band comprising Brian Warfield, Noel Nagle and Tommy Byrne.

The well-known rebel song, "Celtic Symphony" was written by Brian Warfield in 1987 for the 100th anniversary of Celtic Football Club. It has been covered by countless bands around the world. Other famous songs written by the group include Joe McDonnell, a song about the life and death of the IRA Volunteer who was the 5th person to die on the 1981 Hunger Strike, which is also said to be their most popular stage song.

Grace
The Wolfe Tones Lyrics

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Okay, for the last time this evening, boys and girls
We're gonna ask you to give a nice bit of ciúnas
A very beautiful song you know very well
It's back to 1916 and one of the forgotten heroes of that period of time
A young man called Joseph Mary Plunkett
While he was awaiting execution
He married his longtime girlfriend, Grace Gifford
A very beautiful song

A song called Grace

As we gathered in the chapel here in Old Kilmainham Jail
I think about these past few weeks, oh will they say we've failed?
From our school days they have told us we must yearn for liberty
Yet all I want in this dark place is to have you here with me

Oh Grace, just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger
They'll take me out at dawn and I will die
With all my love I place this wedding ring upon your finger
There won't be time to share our love, so we must say goodbye

Now I know it's hard for you my love to ever understand
The love I bare for these brave men, my love for my dear land
So when Pádraic called me to his side down in the GPO
I had to leave my own sick bed, to him I had to go

Oh Grace, just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger
They'll take me out at dawn and I will die
With all my love I'll place this wedding ring upon your finger
There won't be time to share our love, so we must say goodbye

Now as the dawn is breaking, my heart is breaking too
On this May morn' as I walk out, my thoughts will be with you
And I'll write some words upon the wall so everyone will know
I loved so much that I could see his blood upon the rose

Oh Grace, just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger
They'll take me out at dawn and I will die
With all my love I'll place this wedding ring upon your finger

There won't be time to share our love, so we must say goodbye
Now there won't be time to share our love, so we must say goodbye

Overall Meaning

The Wolfe Tones' song "Grace" is a beautiful and tender ballad that tells the story of Joseph Mary Plunkett, a young man who was executed for his involvement in the Easter Rising of 1916 in Dublin. The song is sung from Plunkett's perspective as he reflects on his love for his girlfriend, Grace Gifford, and their doomed love affair. The lyrics are particularly poignant as they describe the time Plunkett spent with Grace in the chapel of Kilmainham Jail before his execution.

Plunkett recalls his love for his country and the sacrifices that he and other Irishmen made to fight for their freedom, even if it meant dying for the cause. However, even in the face of death, Plunkett's thoughts are with Grace and their love for one another. He places a wedding ring on her finger in the hope that their love will be remembered, even after he is gone.

The song is a powerful and moving tribute to the victims of the Easter Rising and to the enduring power of love, even in the face of great adversity. The Wolfe Tones' rendition of "Grace" is a beautiful and haunting performance that captures the emotions of the lyrics perfectly.

GraceThe Wolfe Tones Lyrics

Grace
The Wolfe Tones Lyrics