O'Donnell Abu: The Prelude to Alma Mater's Call

So, I learned today – from the group discussion on Facebook – that my school rally (the same one shared by all La Sallian educational institutions albeit with some variation in wordings) takes the tune from O'Donnell Abu. More about the song here.

First published c. 1843 as "The Clanconnell War Song." "Red Hugh" O'Donnell's hatred of England was based on a personal experience; as a teenager, the English had gotten him drunk and taken him prisoner. He escaped a few years later (1591), but the unfair imprisonment affected his opinions for the rest of his life. The "O'Neill" of the song is Hugh, third Baron of Dungannon and second Earl of Tyrone, one of the greatest Anglo-Irish barons of the time (1551-1616).

He became O'Neill in 1593 when his brother Turlough resigned him the position. Prior to that, he had held the barony of Dungannon from 1569 and the Tyrone earldom from 1587. He cooperated with the English more than this song might imply, but the threat to his position (Tudor bureaucracy looked likely to overcome the ancient clan loyalties) eventually pushed him toward rebellion. If the rebellion could be said to have a commander (a debatable point), he was it.

Source: Folklorist

It sure is lively then, and it certainly is now. Ah, Irish roots and then some! Let's see what else pops up 7 years after I left school. Seven already? Never a week passes without, at worst, a fleeting thought about the place. It's different walking in now than when I was still in my school uniform. Suddenly, being under the rules are way nicer than feeling like a wandering spirit. I've said it once and probably a hundred times more before, whether I'm in it now or out of it, I owe this place everything.