576. The Irish War of Independence: Rise of the IRA (Part 1)

Let me carry your cross for Ireland, Lord. The hour of her trial draws near, and the pangs and the pains of the sacrifice may be borne by comrades dear. Let me carry your cross for Ireland, Lord, let me suffer the pain and shame I Bow my head to their rage and hate, and I take on myself the blame. Let them do with my body whatever they will, my spirit I offer to you, that the faithful few who heard her call may be spared to Rochine do.

Let me carry your cross for Ireland, lord, for Ireland weak with tears, for the aged man of the clouded brow and the child of tender years, for the empty homes of her golden plains, for the hopes of her future too. Let me carry your cross for Ireland, lord, for the cause of Roshin Du. So that was the Irish revolutionary Thomas Ash, and he wrote that poem when he was in Lewis prison in Sussex in 1917. And Rochine d'ouvre, by the way, is Ireland. So Ash was a farmer's son from County Kerry.

He was a teacher, he was a school principal, he became an Irish language activist before the First World War. Great. activist in Irish sport as well, set up a local branch of the Gaelic Athletic Association, and he joined the Irish Volunteers, a paramilitary group in 1913, and then was a key figure in the Easter Rising three years later, fighting a five hour battle against the Royal Irish Constabulary. He was arrested, he was um court martialed, uh he was sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted, and then he was released after he'd written that poem.

We already have this episode, so unlocking it is cheap and permanent: the full transcript (67 minutes, 12,743 words), segment and word-level timestamps, and .txt, .srt, .vtt and word-level JSON downloads, as many times as you like, forever.

No account needed, we create one from your checkout email. With credits it is 1 credit; packs start at 10 episodes for $5, and monthly plans are cheaper still.