Johnston's Motor Car is an Irish rebel song written by Willie Gillespie based on the commandeering in Ulster of a motor car belonging to Henry Maturin Johnston (1851-1932) by the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
The song is based on a real event in April 1921. An Irish Republican Army unit needed transport to a town over fifty miles away, but had no car to carry them. They decided to call out Henry M. Johnston, a doctor based in Stranorlar, and then ambush him and his car at a bridge and commandeer the car for the IRA. Johnston was sent a telegraph [1] asking him to attend to a Mrs Boyle. On his way there, he found the Reelin Bridge in Glenfin barricaded by the IRA, who forced him to give them his car. [2] In 2019, retired Ballybofey businessman Cathal McHugh claimed to have found what he believes to be the remnants of the vehicle under a turf stack in County Donegal. [3]
William Gillespie, a poet from Ballybofey, wrote the song shortly after the event. [2] The song was very popular in Ireland in the 1920s before being rediscovered and covered by bands including The Dubliners and Flying Column, although the more modern versions have slightly different lyrics; Johnston is often replaced with Johnson as well, as in the Clancy Brothers version.
John David Taylor, Baron Kilclooney, PC (NI) is a Crossbench life peer from Northern Ireland, who has sat in the House of Lords since 2001. He previously served as the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Strangford from 1983 to 2001. He was deputy leader of the UUP from 1995 to 2001, and a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Strangford from 1998 to 2007.
In the music of Ireland, Irish rebel songs refer to folk songs which are primarily about the various rebellions against English Crown rule. Songs about prior rebellions are a popular topic of choice among musicians which supported Irish nationalism and republicanism. In the 20th and 21st centuries, Irish rebel songs focus on physical force Irish republicanism in the context of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
The Dubliners were an Irish folk band founded in Dublin in 1962 as The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group, named after its founding member; they subsequently renamed themselves The Dubliners. The line-up saw many changes in personnel over their fifty-year career, but the group's success was centred on lead singers Luke Kelly and Ronnie Drew. The band garnered international success with their lively Irish folk songs, traditional street ballads and instrumentals. The band were regulars on the folk scenes in both Dublin and London in the early 1960s, and were signed to the Major Minor label in 1965 after backing from Dominic Behan who was paid by Major-Minor to work with the Dubliners and help them to build a better act fit for larger concert hall venues. The Dubliners worked with Behan regularly between 1965 and 1966; Behan wrote numerous songs for this act including the song McAlpine's Fusiliers created specifically to showcase Ronnie Drew's gravel voice. They went on to receive extensive airplay on Radio Caroline which was part-owned by Phil Solomon CEO of Major Minor, and eventually appeared on Top of the Pops in 1967 with hits "Seven Drunken Nights" and "The Black Velvet Band". Often performing political songs considered controversial at the time, they drew criticism from some folk purists and Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ had placed an unofficial ban on their music from 1967 to 1971. During this time the band's popularity began to spread across mainland Europe and they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in the United States. The group's success remained steady right through the 1970s and a number of collaborations with The Pogues in 1987 saw them enter the UK Singles Chart on another two occasions.
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Gilbert Norman Potter was a District Inspector of the Royal Irish Constabulary. He was born in Dromahair, County Leitrim, a son of Rev. Joseph Potter, Church of Ireland Rector of Drumlease Parish, and Mrs. Jane Potter. He was stationed at Cahir, County Tipperary, during the Irish War of Independence. In April 1921 he was captured and executed by the Irish Republican Army in reprisal for the British execution of Thomas Traynor, an Irish republican.
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