Sir, - Your correspondent A. Cronin (July 30th) is correct in suggesting that there is a problem associated with the text or texts of the National Anthem.
Probably most readers will be surprised to learn, as I was, that the familiar and widely used Irish language text known as "Amhran na bhFiann" has never been officially adopted as the National Anthem.
In July 1926 the Executive Council of the Free State adopted "The Soldier's Song" as the National Anthem for use in all contexts. This song, as originally written - probably about 1907 - had three verses and a chorus with words by Peadar Kearney and music by Kearney and Patrick Heeney. However, in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the practice was adopted and officially sanctioned of using only the chorus when the National Anthem was played on State occasions (notably, by the army bands).
Readers may well have noted that when Michelle Smith's gold medals were being awarded at the Olympics, the recording played was of the music of both the verses and the chorus of "The Soldier's Song". Aertel subsequently reported that a different recording was being provided to Olympics officials by the Washington embassy for any possible future use in Atlanta.
The State rather belatedly purchased the copyright of both the words and the music of "The Soldier's Song" in 1932 from Peadar Kearney and the heirs of Patrick Heeney, and at the time official correspondence raised the question of whether the words - as opposed to the music - had in tact ever constituted the National Anthem at all. It would be possible to argue that this question has never been definitively answered.
The Irish language translation of Kearney's text which is now generally used was made no later than 1923 by Liam O'Rinn, and began to become generally known in the 1930s. it was never, however, the subject of any governmental or legislative decision, and the State never purchased the copyright of this text by O'Rinn. There are furthermore some variant versions of this Irish text in circulation.
The Department of Foreign Affairs publication Facts About Ireland does, however, print the music of the chorus, and texts of the chorus in both Kearney's original English and O'Rinn's Irish translation, as the National Anthem, and A. Cronin might be referred to this publication for the closest one can come to officially sanctioned texts.
Further details about the history of the National Anthem may be found in my article, "The Story of the National Anthem", in the Spring 1996 issue of History Ireland, which Kim Beilenberg kindly commented on in a recent "Irishwoman's Diary". - Yours sincerely,
19A York Road,
Dun Laoghaire.