Broadside ballad entitled 'The Irish Brigade In America'

Commentary

Verse 1 begins: 'You gallant sons of Erin's isle, of high and low degree, / Who are fighting in the American states to put down slavery'.

This rather short, but detailed, text celebrates the Irish-American soldiers who fought in the American Civil War (1861-65). Many of the Irish emigrants who gained access to America settled in the area around New York, and it was here that the Irish Brigade was raised at the onset of civil war. Under the leadership of General Thomas Francis Meagher, the Irish Brigade went on to fight with the Union Army, and as a result, enjoyed sharing in their success.

Broadsides are single sheets of paper, printed on one side, to be read unfolded. They carried public information such as proclamations as well as ballads and news of the day. Cheaply available, they were sold on the streets by pedlars and chapmen. Broadsides offer a valuable insight into many aspects of the society they were published in, and the National Library of Scotland holds over 250,000 of them.

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