Wolfe Tones RA song 'glorifying slaughter RTE

Duffy's heated war of words with frontman on controversial lyrics

- NICOLA DOHNELLY

RTE'S Joe Duffy has accused the Wolfe Tones of "glorifying slaughter" in a war of words on air with the band's frontman.

Brian Warfield was on Liveline yesterday after a video circulated on social media of revellers attending the Feile an Phobail in Belfast taking part in pro-IRA chanting on Sunday evening.

Videos of the concert showed around 10,000 fans chanting "Ooh ah, up the 'RA" at the concert in the Falls Park in West Belfast.

Warfield, who penned Celtic Symphony in 1987 to celebrate the centenary of Glasgow Celtic Football Club, said he was a little bit sick of all this nitpicking" the band has received over the years over the particular song.

The chorus of the song features a reference to some graffiti with the words "Ooh, ahh, up the RA" - which is largely assumed to be a reference to the Irish Republican Army.

In a previous interview with this paper, Warfield has claimed that the lyric was inspired by graffiti that he'd seen in Glasgow. He said he was not necessarily referring to the Provisional IRA in the lyrics.