| "The Fields of Athenry" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Published | 1979 |
| Genre | Irish folk |
| Songwriter(s) | Pete St. John |
"The Fields of Athenry" is a song written in 1979 by Pete St. John in the style of an Irish folk ballad. Set during the Great Famine of the 1840s, the lyrics feature a fictional man from near Athenry in County Galway, who stole food for his starving family and has been sentenced to transportation to the Australian penal colony at Botany Bay. It has become a widely known, popular anthem for Irish sports supporters. [1]