WOLFE TONES
Wolfe Tones, an Irish rebel music band, incorporate elements of Irish traditional music in their songs. They take their 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. Members include Brian Warfield, Noel Nagle, and Tommy Byrne. The band is most associated with rebel ballads and songs relating to Irish nationalism and its history. The song ‘Irish Eyes’ was written as a paen of love by Brian Warfield for his mother Kathleen who died of cancer the year previous to its release. A song about emigration to London entitled ‘My Heart is in Ireland’ became a number 2 hit for the band. The song ‘Celtic Symphony’ was written by Brian Warfield in 1987 for the centennial of Celtic Football Club. Other famous songs written by the group include ‘Joe McDonnell’, a song about the life and death of the Provisional IRA member who was the fifth person to die on the 1981 Hunger Strike. In 2014 Wolfe Tones celebrated their 50th anniversary and a commemorative 3CD recording was released by Celtic Collections.
