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24th Mar 2017

‘Amhrán na bhFiann’ was sung at the grave of Martin McGuinness and it was something special

Alan Loughnane

This is really special…

Martin McGuinness was laid to rest in Derry yesterday following a short illness, with thousands of people gathered in mourning as the Bogside man entered Free Derry one last time.

Prominent figures from all walks of the political spectrum attended the funeral on Thursday, with Bill Clinton, Bertie Ahern, President Michael D. Higgins, Tony Blair and Arlene Foster among those paying their respects.

As McGuinness was carried through Derry, crowds of people lined the streets and heads poked from every vantage point along the route as the tricolour-draped coffin inched its way towards its final destination.

When he reached the cemetery and his final place of rest, a stirring scene unfolded among the people gathered around his grave.

‘Amhrán na bhFiann’ was played and sung.

It was a version so unlike any other we’ve heard in recent times.

We’re all used to hearing it roared in stadiums on match days like Ireland’s match against England last week, and we fully expect to hear another passionate rendition of it as the Boys in Green take on Wales in Dublin this evening.

This performance of it was something different though, something special. Beautifully played on the flute, it was solemn, respectful and emotive as we’ve heard sung, but in a different way to the norm.

You’ll get goosebumps for an entirely different reason…