Wings – ‘Give Ireland Back To The Irish’

4 March 1972 The immediate responses to Bloody Sunday included the burning of the British Embassy in Dublin, Bernadette Devlin slapping Tory minister Reginald Maudling on the floor of the House of Commons, and Paul McCartney writing 'Give Ireland Back To The Irish'. Also: Irish people buying 'Give Ireland Back To The Irish' all the … Continue reading Wings – ‘Give Ireland Back To The Irish’

Barleycorn – ‘The Men Behind The Wire’

22 January 1972 This chart-topping original of 'The Men Behind The Wire' has a spoken-word introduction: On Monday the ninth of August 1971 at 4:30 a.m., Irish men from all over the six counties were taken from their homes. Hundreds of these men are now imprisoned without trial. This song is borne of the civil … Continue reading Barleycorn – ‘The Men Behind The Wire’

The New Seekers – ‘I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony)’

8 January 1972 Shannon Airport's role as the site of the real-life inspiration for Coca Cola's "I'd Like To Buy The World A Coke" jingle will turn out to be one of Ireland's more benign contributions to our chart-topping singles of 1972. Irish coffee was invented in the '40s at the nearby Foynes transatlantic seaplane … Continue reading The New Seekers – ‘I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony)’

Larry Cunningham – ‘Slaney Valley’

1 January 1972 The most astonishing year in Irish chart history begins innocuously enough, with an old-fashioned waltz-time accordion ballad on the céilí wing of the country & Irish showband scene. Suffice it to say, Larry Cunningham won't be doing any of the astonishing that lies ahead. 'Slaney Valley' ploughs such a similar furrow to … Continue reading Larry Cunningham – ‘Slaney Valley’