Music legend Phil Coulter reveals the tragic war story behind his latest single

Sunday World

2 days ago

'Their poor mother had to deal with the deaths of her sons… in the middle of it all her husband leaves her'
Songwriter Phil Coulter tells how the deaths of four young Limerick brothers in World War One has inspired his latest song.
The Collins brothers — Stephen, Michael, John and Patrick — lost their lives fighting in the British army, with the youngest just 16.
A fifth brother, Joseph, was wounded and missing in action. He was later found and sent home, but shrapnel in his body left him in pain for the rest of his life.
After Joseph went missing, a sixth brother, William, was sent home to Limerick on compassionate leave.
Iconic singer and performer Coulter tells how the brothers returned home to a different Ireland following the 1916 Rising — and they and their comrades were regarded as unwelcome supporters of the British Crown.
'They found that they were pariahs in their native city,' says Phil, who co-wrote the new song, For Another King And Country, with Ryan Hennessy and Jimmy Rainsford of Picture This.
'I visited Waterford last week to see the area where they grew up and to meet some of their descendants,' he tells the Sunday World.
'Waterford was a garrison town, so there was a tradition of the British army about the place. There were upwards of a thousand men and teenagers from Waterford who signed up.
'In the early days of WW1, before the full horrors unfolded, young Irishmen were encouraged to join the British army. Times were hard, jobs were scarce and the future was bleak.
'The added incentive, as promoted by John Redmond MP, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, was that in return for this support, Ireland would be granted Home Rule.
'The Collins family was living in poverty, so joining up the young lads were motivated by adventure to see the world and a chance to earn a few quid.
'Down the list would have been Home Rule for Ireland. They weren't that politically motivated.
'They had no idea what they were letting themselves in for. This was a war unlike any other, with the invention of machine guns and all that stuff that didn't exist before, which meant that it was all about throwing bodies at it.'
Five telegrams arrived to the Collins family home in Limerick bearing the tragic news of the siblings who died and the brother who was missing, presumed dead.
'Their poor mother had to deal with the deaths of her sons…and in the middle of it all her husband leaves her,' Phil says.
'There were two other kids who were too young to join up, so she is left to bring them up on her own.
'The relatives I met last week were lovely people. Up until 10 or 12 years ago there was no talk of a Collins brother in Waterford at all. Why? Because in common with a lot of other families of soldiers that came back from having fought in the First World War, they found that the whole landscape had changed after the 1916 Rebellion.
'They didn't talk about having been in the British army. Their families kind of brushed it under the carpet.'
Phil says around 200,000 Irish were in the British army and more than 30,000 died in the First World War.
'Some of them had lied about their age and were only 14 and 15 when they joined,' he reveals.
After a family member brought the story to public attention, the Collins brothers were honoured with a plaque near their family home in 2016 at a ceremony attended by Irish politicians and members of the Royal British Legion.
Phil Coulter told how he developed a personal interest in the story of World War One after his friend, British songwriter and singer Ralph McTell, engaged him to help with a project he was working on regarding the war.
'Ralph had casually mentioned about the number of Irish who fought and died and that's what piqued my curiosity, so I read up on it,' Phil says.
'And it was then that I discovered the story of the Collins brothers. When I shared with Ralph that I'd just uncovered the story he told me that I needed to write a song about it.
'I thought I'd introduce some fresh energy into the creative process, so I invited Ryan Hennessy and Jimmy Rainsford of Picture This to join me.'
When it came to matching a singer to the song, Coulter already knew the perfect artist – Cork folk and ballad performer Roy Buckley.
'Roy is a rare talent as I was aware from having him do guest appearances with me when I do concerts in Cork,' Phil says. 'Having been lucky enough to work with the likes of Luke Kelly, Paddy Reilly and Jim McCann, I recognised Roy as a throwback to that era.
'After I had written the song he was the natural choice. It needed that kind of big voice that could tell the story with a bit of authority.
'The uncanny thing is, Roy had a connection with World War One as his great grandfather was a soldier who fought and died in it. And I didn't learn that until we recorded the song.'
For Another King And Country by Phil Coulter with Roy Buckley is out now.