Brian Warfield, the lead singer of the long running Irish folk band The Wolfe Tones, lodged legal proceedings against Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) in Ireland's High Court on Tuesday, May 14.
"We confirm that we have issued proceedings in the High Court in Dublin on behalf of our client Brian Warfield," a spokesperson for WP Tweed, the Irish law firm representing Warfield, told IrishCentral on Wednesday.
"The proceedings are against RTÉ and relate to an episode of Liveline presented by Joe Duffy.
"It is unfortunate that our client was left with no alternative other than to take this significant step, but he now looks forward to resolving the matter to his satisfaction.
"It would be inappropriate to make any further comment at this time. "
On August 15 last year, Warfield was featured on RTÉ Radio's Liveline program where he spoke with host Joe Duffy and a number of callers.
The live episode aired the day after The Wolfe Tones performed a sold-out gig to 10,000 people in Belfast as part of the Feile an Phobail event.
During the Belfast gig, crowds sang along to the band's original song "Celtic Symphony," which features the lyrics "Ooh, ahh, up the 'RA."
The lyric has courted controversy in recent years. In 2022, the Republic of Ireland's women's football team and manager, as well as the Football Association of Ireland, apologized after footage emerged of the squad singing "Celtic Symphony" in Glasgow after their victory over Scotland.
Warfield has previously said he penned the "Celtic Symphony" in 1987 for the centenary of Scotland's Celtic Football Club, which occurred a year later. The song, he said, references graffiti he saw in Glasgow which read: "We're magic, up the Celts, ooh, ahh, up the 'RA."
The Liveline discussion last summer was prompted by a caller, Aileen, who expressed concerns about an upcoming Wolfe Tones gig nearby to her in Co Limerick. "Celtic Symphony," she claimed at one point, is "inciting people to violence."
During the discussion, Duffy claimed that Warfield “loves” to make money off their music, in particular “Celtic Symphony."
When Warfield asked Duffy if he makes money at his job, Duffy said his money is “not blood money,” adding, “I would never make money glorifying slaughter, which you do.”
Warfield went on to tell Duffy he was “being awful.”
“I’m allowed,” Duffy replied. “You think I’m awful, but I’m entitled to my opinion. I don’t care what you think I am, I’m not going out for a glass of milk with you. I wouldn’t go near anyone who glories in the slaughter of children.”
Duffy and Warfield went back and forth throughout the segment about what the lyric "Ooh, ahh, up the 'RA" actually means. In one instance, Warfield claimed that the lyric could be referring to the Egyptian god Ra.
More callers phoned in, some in support of The Wolfe Tones, others not. Duffy was immovable in his opinion that "ooh, ahh, up the 'RA" is a lyric in support of the IRA.
Two days after the charged interview, The Wolfe Tones posted on X that “Celtic Symphony” had entered the top ten on iTunes.
They added the hashtag "#liveline" to their post.
Look what’s entered Ireland’s Top 10 #liveline pic.twitter.com/Gh0GXQGGL3
— The Wolfe Tones 🇮🇪 (@wolfetones) August 17, 2023
A few weeks later, on September 5, The Wolfe Tones played to another massive crowd at the arts and music festival Electric Picnic in Co Laois.
A spokesperson for the festival said afterward that the group "drew the biggest crowd ever in the Electric Arena, with fans enjoying the music inside and outside the tent, singing along to every song.”
Thank you @EPfestival for having us tonight! Thank you to the massive crowds who thronged the Electric Arena tent, we are truly humbled. Our sincerest thanks! pic.twitter.com/MvFSCnTt3T
— The Wolfe Tones 🇮🇪 (@wolfetones) September 3, 2023
Warfield told The Irish Mirror after: "Well it was absolutely spectacular.
"I think people got their answer about the right to sing a song and I think at the end of the day, the people of Ireland have spoken.
"The young people of Ireland have spoken in numbers that Joe Duffy could never get."
He added: "That song ('Celtic Symphony') is about Glasgow Celtic and I don’t think they understand the song but there’s all euphemisms within that song ... you know 'That’s where the lions sleep' is the Lisburn Lions and 'the jungle' is where all the – before they knocked it down I used to go to the jungle – it was where all the poorer people went. It was a cheaper area and it was known as the jungle.
"Not many people know all the euphemisms that I put into that song, telling the story about Celtic and what they stand for and who they are and they always supported Ireland going back to the Troubles.
"People love it. It is a great song, I can’t stop people singing it and I don’t think anybody… people think they have the power to stop people singing that song.. it won’t happen."
In November The Wolfe Tones announced that after some 60 years, they would be retiring in 2024 after a string of farewell shows in both the US and Ireland.
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