The recording of the song is still a work in progress, but the lyrics to The Rocky Road to Poland, Ireland's official song for the European Championships, have been just been announced.
The tune is based on the well-known traditional song The Rocky Road to Dublin and the words were compiled from suggestions put forward by listeners to Ray D'Arcy's Today FM Show yesterday.
Their contributions were stitched together by singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey who called the whole process “nerve-wracking” as its awkward 9/8 timing, unique to Irish music, makes it hard to put lyrics too.
Dempsey added his version of the chant ‘You’ll never beat the Irish’ to give the fans something to sing along to.
The single features The Dubliners, The Coronas, Bressie and Damien Dempsey. The Irish team will add their vocals to it next week.
The public will be able to get in on the act by singing along to a specially created app and their voices will be added to the final version.
The single is due out in April or May just in time for the European Championships.
All proceeds will go to the Irish Cancer Society’s Shave or Dye campaign which was voted today the best charity campaign in a survey of Irish charity chief executives and to the John Giles Foundation.
The Rocky Road to Poland:
T’was in the merry month of June from our home we started
Left old Eireann’s isle, to Poland we departed
Hope within our hearts.
We can win a trophy
We’re a part of Trappatoni’s army,
Get behind the team, hear the Irish scream,
C’mon you boys in green, Ireland’s bouncing back again,
We have got our Trap, the cat is in the sack,
We’ll not forget you Jack on the Rocky Road to Poland
One, two, three, four, five
Irish eyes are smiling
Let your voices ring,
Trappatoni’s army,
Everybody sing
You’ll never beat the Irish x 4
Make your mother proud, inflate your plastic hammer,
Bate your bodrhan loud and learn your Polish grammar
Credit union loan, sold the Opel Corsa,
Hired a camper van, picked it up in Warsaw,
Been so close before, hopes slammed in the door,
Now we’re back for more, we can win the battle,
C’mon you boys in green, never have we seen,
Such a fearless team on the Rocky Road to Poland.
One, two, three, four, five
Irish eyes are smiling
Let your voices ring,
Trappatoni’s army,
Everybody sing
You’ll never beat the Irish x 4
Ireland abú. We love.
