The first two verses of this song, sung to the old Celtic tune The Moreen, were written by a young Irish patriot as a rallying song during the uprising of the United Irishmen in 1798. The third verse was added during the War Between the States, most likely by the many newly emigrated Irishmen who took up arms for the Union.
This song is well loved by reenactment fife and drum corps (both Union and Confederate) and is heard frequently in both camps today.
