Tonight’s song is funny, but it is about something serious. In Ireland, for centuries, Protestants and Catholics were often divided. “Orange” means Protestant, after King William of Orange; “Green” means Catholic and Irish.
Learn from Songs · Specials: Ireland · B1
The Orange and the Green
A comic Irish song about a boy with a Protestant father and a Catholic mother: would and used to for childhood habits, the passive (I was baptised, I was christened), depending on, both… and / while, and how humour can help people live together, with Philo, Sophia, Marcos and Demetria.
SOPHIA
DEMETRIA
And the song?
SOPHIA
The singer’s father was Orange and his mother was Green. Both sides wanted him. He calls it the biggest mix-up you have ever seen.
PHILO
A Greek mother and a Jewish father would make quite a mix-up in Alexandria too.
Before you listen: the song
Liverpool, 1960s
The song was written in the 1960s by Anthony Murphy of Liverpool, a city with many Irish families, both Catholic and Protestant. It is sung to the old tune of “The Wearing of the Green”. The Irish Rovers, the Wolfe Tones, Paddy Reilly and many others have recorded it.
Look at the Irish flag: green, white and orange. The green stands for the Catholic and nationalist tradition, the orange for the Protestant tradition, and the white in the middle for peace between them. During the Troubles in Northern Ireland (1968–1998) more than 3,500 people died in violence between the communities, so a song that laughs gently at the divide was a kind of medicine.
In the song, the boy was baptised by a Catholic priest and then rushed off to be made a little Orangeman. On Sundays he would go to Mass with his mother and then the Orange lodge would try to “save” him. He played the flute or the harp, depending on where he was.
Laughter can build bridges.
Listen: the mix-up
PHILO
Listen once. What were his father and mother? What happened when he was born? What did he do on Sundays?
SOPHIA
Listen to the chorus and join in. Then answer Section A.
🇮🇪 Listen to the song: “The Orange and the Green” (Anthony Murphy, 1960s), sung by the Wolfe Tones.Find the recording →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “The Orange and the Green”, the Wolfe Tones.Read the lyrics →
Would and used to for childhood habits
MARCOS
Every Sunday I would go to Mass. Then I used to go to the lodge. I used to have two names.
SOPHIA
would + infinitive = repeated actions in the past (not states). used to = actions and states: I used to live in Cork (not “would live”). Both are perfect for childhood memories.
The passive: baptised, christened, married
DEMETRIA
He was baptised by Father Reilly. He was christened David Anthony. His parents were married in two churches.
SOPHIA
was / were + past participle for things done to us, especially life events: I was born, I was named after my grandmother, they were married in 1990.
Depending on, both… and, while
PHILO
He played the flute or the harp, depending on where he was. Both sides wanted him. His father was Orange, while his mother was Green.
SOPHIA
depending on + noun / wh- clause: We’ll go out, depending on the weather. both… and; while / whereas for contrast.
Sophia’s comparison: Ruth, and the Greeks in Alexandria
PHILO
Ruth was a Moabite who married into a family of Israel. Her great-grandson was King David. Our greatest king had a foreign great-grandmother.
SOPHIA
And here in Alexandria, Greeks, Jews and Egyptians marry each other every day, and their children speak three languages and argue about everything. The song would be very popular here.
MARCOS
My uncle married an Egyptian. At family dinners, nobody agrees on anything except the food.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| would + infinitive | past habits (actions) | On Sundays I would go to Mass. |
| used to + infinitive | past habits and states | I used to have two names. |
| was / were + past participle | life events (passive) | I was baptised by Father Reilly. |
| depending on | it changes according to | depending on where I was |
| both… and / while | both sides / contrast | His father was Orange, while his mother was Green. |
Practice
Listen to the song for Section A, then do the rest. Press “Check my answers” at the end. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Listen: the song
Listen to the song and choose the best answer.
1. What was the singer’s father?
2. What was his mother?
3. What happened after he was baptised?
4. What did he play?
5. Who wrote the song?
6. What does the white on the Irish flag stand for?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. Every Sunday I go to Mass. (past habit)
8. I used to two names. (have)
9. He was by Father Reilly. (baptise)
10. His parents were in two churches. (marry)
11. He played the flute or the harp, depending where he was.
12. His father was Orange, his mother was Green.
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “I would live in Cork when I was a child.”
14. “I was named after my grandfather.”
15. “We’ll go out, depending of the weather.”
16. “Both my parents were musicians.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
My family mix. Tell a partner about the different traditions in your family (places, languages, foods, habits). Use used to, would, both… and, while.
Discuss. 1. Can humour help divided communities? 2. What does the Irish flag teach us? 3. What are the good things about growing up between two traditions?
Write (120–150 words). The biggest mix-up. Write a funny story about a child with two very different families. Use would and used to, the passive for life events, and depending on.
Now play the gamebook: a boy with two families who both want him.Play the gamebook →