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Gaillimh Abú – Galway All Ireland Hurling song

Here’s my song Gaillimh Abú that I wrote for the Galway Hurlers who won the the All Ireland Hurling Final 2017. I got to play the song at Pearse Stadium in front of 40,000 ecstatic Galway Fans for the homecoming celebration when the team brought the Liam McCarthy Cup home to Galway. What a night that was, a fantastic experience, Gaillimh Abú. The following year I sang the song to 5000 Galway fans in Eyre Square for the all Ireland Hurling final, an event organised by The Galway City Business Association. There were a lot of families at the event with all the generations dancing along together, which is a great thrill for me to see. The song has brought a lot of happiness to Galway people, having over 34,000 views on YouTube which I am delighted about.

Lyrics

We’re in the hurling final, let’s get behind our Team
For Victory in September, it’s the Galway Hurling Team
By train and bus and plane, we will make our way
To Croke Park, where in 80’s, The Connolly Brothers played

Chorus
It’s the ‘Clash of the Ash’, the ball is in the air
Puck that sliotar hard, she’s gone over the bar
With Coen on the left and Canning on the right
The Liam McCarthy Cup is coming to Galway tonight

Every man, woman, child, will answer to the Call
We’ll raise up the Banners outside every Parish Hall
The Artane Boys Band are playing “The Fields of Athenry”
For the Galway boys are Hurling, the dream it is alive

Chorus

And we’ll all sing together, “The West Is Awake”
From Portumna to Kilkerrin, across sea and land and lake
From the hills of Connemara, to the fields of Athenry
Our County united, Galway is alive !

Chorus

Chant
Galway! Galway! Gallimh abú!
Come on Galway! Gallimh abú!
Accross the river Corrib, hear the People sing
Galway! Galway! Gallimh abú!
Galway! Galway! Gallimh abú!

Words & Music by Mick Brown, Copyright©2017, Mick Brown, All Rights Reserved.

Acknowledgements

  • Mick Brown: Guitar, Vocals
  • Neasa Flaherty Burke: Piano & Vocals
  • Mick Roche: Percussion, Whistle, Vocals
  • Axel Grude: Mandolin, Piano, Choir Production
  • Music Production: Roads End Studios, Axel Grude
  • Video Production: Axel Grude & Mick Brown
  • Galway live footage by Mick Brown

Thanks to MPM Publications for social media consultancy.

Shout out to Galway Bay FM for hosting our live session.

Thanks to all the musicians, Neasa Flaherty Burke, Mick Roche and Axel Grude.

Hats off to Emma O Sullivan for her wonderful dancing and the Galway Street Band for performing on the video.

Much gratitude to all the people of Galway who appear on the video

Thanks to Noreen Collins for support and creative advice

Thanks to Seamus Ruttledge, Songwriter for his support and advice.

Thanks to creativecommons.org for hurling footage:

  • Padraig Mannion of Galway – Seaninryan – CC BY-SA 4.0 (commons.wikimedia.org)
  • Cathal_Mannion – Seaninryan – CC BY-SA 4.0 (commons.wikimedia.org)
  • Johnny Coen – Seaninryan – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index…