Kevin Gerard Barry (January 20, 1902 – November 1, 1920) was the first Irish republican to be executed by the British since the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916. On the morning of September 20, 1920, Barry went to Mass, then joined a party of IRA volunteers on Bolton Street in Dublin. Their orders were to ambush a British army truck as it picked up a delivery of bread from the bakery, and capture their weapons. A shot was fired somewhere and Barry and the rest of the ambush party then opened fire. One of the soldiers, Private Harold Washington, aged 15, had been shot dead. Two others, Privates Marshall Whitehead and Thomas Humphries were both badly wounded and both later died of their wounds. Barry's gun jammed twice and he dived for cover under the truck. His comrades fled, and he was left behind. He was then spotted and arrested by the soldiers. Barry was sentenced to death for his part the operation. His martyrdom resulted in the greatly increased voluntary recruitment of his fellow students into the Irish Republican Army. There are several widely sung ballads about Kevin Barry. This one was written by Terrence Ward of The Irish Press. I learned it from the Clancy Brothers recording. The song has been one of the most enduringly popular of Irish songs and has been largely responsible for making Kevin Barry a household name. It was said to be so popular with British troops during the Troubles that it was banned. It was one of many Irish rebel ballads removed from RTÉ playlists during the period of the conflict in Northern Ireland. "Kevin Barry" features prominently in Frank McCourt's novel Angela's Ashes and in the 1999 movie adaptation of the book. It had been performed by many Irish groups including The Wolfe Tones and The Clancy Brothers. The tune used by the Clancys is a variation of the sea shanty "Rolling Home". Songs from Irish uprisings and rebellion in this collection are: "Bold Fenian Men" "Boulavogue" "The Boyne Water" "The Boys of Kilmichael" "Croppies Lie Down" "The Croppy Boy" "The Old Orange Flute" "The Protestant Boys" "The Rising of the Moon" "The Wearing of the Green" "The Wind That Shakes the Barley"