Ireland's Call: Lyrics, video & meaning of Irish Rugby national anthem

The Ireland rugby team has been one of the most competitive sides in world rugby over the years, with major players such as Brian O'Driscoll, Paul O'Connell and Ronan O'Gara all lining out in the famous green jersey.

Ahead of games, the anthem Ireland's Call gets the players and fans psyched up, ready for battle.

Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know, including the full lyrics, videos, who wrote it and the meaning of the song.

What are the Ireland's Call lyrics?

An abridged version of Ireland's Call is sung ahead of Ireland rugby matches, with the first verse followed by two renditions of the chorus. You can see the lyrics for that version below.

Come the day and come the hour,
Come the power and the glory,
We have come to answer our country's call
From the four proud provinces of Ireland

Ireland, Ireland!
Together standing tall,
Shoulder to shoulder,
We'll answer Ireland's Call!

Ireland, Ireland!
Together standing tall,
Shoulder to shoulder,
We'll answer Ireland's Call!
We'll answer Ireland's Call!

Ireland's Call lyrics in full

Come the day and come the hour,
Come the power and the glory,
We have come to answer our country's call,
From the four proud provinces of Ireland

Chorus
Ireland, Ireland!
Together standing tall
Shoulder to shoulder
We'll answer Ireland's call!

From the mighty Glens of Antrim
From the rugged hills of Galway
From the walls of Limerick and Dublin Bay
From the four proud provinces of Ireland

(Chorus)

Hearts of steel and heads unbowing
Vowing never to be broken
We will fight, until we can fight no more,
For the four proud provinces of Ireland.

Ireland's Call lyrics in full (Celtic Thunder version)

Ireland, Ireland

Side by side, we stand like brothers,
One for all and all together,
We will stay united through darker days,
And we'll be unbeatable forever.

(Chorus)
Ireland, Ireland,
Together standing tall,
Shoulder to shoulder,
We'll answer Ireland's Call!

Come the day and come the hour,
Some will live in song and story,
We were born to follow our guiding star,
And to meet our destiny with glory.

(Chorus)

Hearts of steel and heads unbowing,
Vowing never to be broken,
We will fight until we can fight no more
'Til our final requiem is spoken.

(Chorus x 2)

What is the meaning of Ireland's Call?

The lyrics to Ireland's Call attempt to encapsulate the unity of the Irish people through times of trouble and adversity.

While the shortened version used by the rugby team emphasises the togetherness of the team coming from "the four proud provinces of Ireland" to answer the country's call on the pitch, the longer version, as sung by acts such a Celtic Thunder, includes more detail.

The character of Irish people is depicted as resilient and defiant, with lyrics such as "we will be unbeatable forever" and "we will fight until we can fight no more" stressing a refusal to yield to "dark times".

Who wrote Ireland's Call?

Phil Coulter was commissioned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) to write a sporting anthem for Ireland ahead of the 1995 Rugby World Cup and Ireland's Call was the outcome of that commission.

Coulter, who is a musician, composer and producer from Derry, was tasked with writing a song that brought together all traditions in Ireland, in order to reflect the all-Ireland nature of the team, which encompasses Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The IRFU initially approached Coulter in 1987, driven by the idea that a song emphasising unity of people was required against a backdrop of political division in Ireland with the Troubles.

"You get different satisfactions from songs that you write," Coulter told RTE in 2023. "It’s nice to get a number one in the charts or sell a million records and get a song recorded by Elvis Presley or win the Eurovision.

"But to hear a full Lansdowne Road singing my song, you can’t quantify that in terms of records sold or chart positions."

Do Irish Rugby have two anthems?

The Irish rugby team is somewhat unusual in world rugby in that it occasionally plays two national anthems before games.

At home, in Dublin, the team has two anthems - Amhran na bhFiann, which is the official national anthem of Ireland, followed by Ireland's Call.

The two anthems are only ever played during games that are played in Dublin, with Ireland's Call being used on its own for away games and tournaments outside of Ireland.

Does the Republic of Ireland football team use Ireland's Call?

The Republic of Ireland national football team does not use Ireland's Call. The national anthem played before Ireland soccer matches is Amhran na bhFiann.

The Northern Ireland team does not use Ireland's Call either. In fact, the team does not have a specific sporting anthem, unlike Scotland and Wales, and uses God Save the King as its anthem.