EEC REFERENDUM 1972 - NA hUAISLE

Anti-EEC election poster from 1972

Today would have been Nora's birthday. Sadly she is no longer with us. But in a long life she has left her mark on many events. One of these was the anti-EEC campaign in the run up to the Irish 1972 referendum.

Nora was a member of a protest folk group, Na hUaisle. Her brother Aodh wrote the words and she arranged the music.

One of the group's songs was EEC, which painted a grim, if humorous, picture of what would become of the country if we joined. The song was played on many a loudspeaker around the country during the referendum campaign and the fact that the referendum went the other way (massively) does not take in the least from the merits of the song.

Aodh was a master wordsmith, in both Irish and English, and the song stands today as fresh as the day it was written. In my book, it's one of the group's top songs.

Not only would today have been Nora's birthday, but this year is the 50th anniversary of the referendum and its campaign.

In memory of Nora and Aodh, neither of whom are any longer with us, I present the group's recording of the song from that time along with the lyrics which, despite being in Irish, are a lot less complicated than Finnegan's Wake.

You can start the recording and follow the lyrics, below.

EEC - Na hUaisle
le Aodh, Nora & Dominic
Neosfaidh mé scéal a chuirfidh áthas ar bhur gcroí
Ní fada go mbeidh Éire ina ball Chomhargaidh
Beidh Státsheirbhís Bhruiséil mar bhoss again
Rachaidh muid isteach, níl aon dul as againn,
Mar déanann muid gach rud a dhéanann na Sasanaigh

Curfá

EECdeldídí EECdeldídí dídildí
Diarmaid Mac Murrow, Mansholt agus Hillery

An bhfaca sibh ár dTeachtaí Dála le fíor dhéanaí
Ní itheann siad do dhinéar ach froganna is spaghetti
Tá blas na Fraince ar a gcuid Gaeilge
Is tugann siad Fraulein ar a mná céile
Ní Éireannaigh a thuille muid ach ábhar Eorapaigh

Curfá

Ar chuala sibh cad tá i ndan dár bhfeirmeoirí
Go bhfágfaidh siad an talamh chun oibre in industry
Mar deirtear linn i gConradh na Róimhe
Nach mbeidh éinne fágtha ar an dole
Is beidh Coimisiún na Talún ceannaithe ag na Gearmánaigh

Curfá

Nach cuma sa tsioc faoi national sovereignty
Déanfaimís dearmad ar Pearse agus Connolly
Ach cad a bheidh le rá ag Kevin Boland
Faoi shaighdiúirí NATO ar dhá thaobh den teorann
Díolfaimís ar n-anamnacha ar mhaithe le economy.

Curfá deiridh

EECdeldídí EECdeldídí dídildí
Diarmaid Mac Murrow, Mansholt agus Hillery
EECdeldídí EECdeldídí dídildí
Ní Éireannaigh a thuille muid
Ach ábhar Eorapaigh