Kitty

[MacRua]

this is one of my favorites. i'm a big fan of fantastically melancholy/bittersweet songs.

do we know why are the cops after the guy or why they want him to leave? and is this song a reference to an actual person?

If it was an American or Australian song, I’d say the police is after him coz he is a highway or train robber. But it’s Irish so he must be a brave rebel and failed freedom fighter for sure. Irish history is full of fucked up rebellions and surviving participants usually left Ireland either on their own, to escape an arrest, or got exiled (as a substitute for a death sentence).

In 17th century they left for Europe, the most famous and massive escape is known as Flight of the Earls now. Irish nobility scattered all over Europe serving in armies of different countries. The tradition was observed in 18th and 19th centuries as well, with America added to usual safe-places such as France, Netherlands or Spain. As for places of forced exile, it was Caribbean Islands, Australia or Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land).

While the song hardly has something to do with any real persons and both characters are more like collective images of a rebel and his beloved, it does awoke certain associations. Have you heard about Robert Emmet and his rebellion of 1803? After a failure he was hiding successfully till he decided to get closer to his sweetheart, Sarah Curran, and see her before leaving for America (he was caught, sentenced and hung). And there was Kitty O’Shea, an affair with whom cost Parnell his political career.

And as according to Shane the song originated in Co Tipperary, it could be inspired by Young Ireland rebellion of 1848 (among others), with its leaders and participants either being exiled to Van Diemen’s Land (William Smith O'Brien, Thomas Francis Meagher, John Mitchel) or having escaped to Europe and America (Michael Doheny, James Stephens, John Blake Dillon, John O'Mahony) to found Irish Republican Brotherhood and Fenian Brotherhood later..

[phro37]

The tradition was observed in 18th and 19th centuries as well, with America added to usual safe-places such as France, Netherlands or Spain.

were any of the nobility involved with the san patricios?

[MacRua]

Nobility, leaving Ireland over political motives, dominated in emigration of the 17th century. By mid 19th the situation had changed. Ireland had run out of its own Earls and such and it was mostly the poorest (besides individual lucky insurgents) who left Ireland for America in mass exodus, their families sometimes spent their last money to buy a one way ticket and help at least one member to escape poverty and famine.

Many of those who landed in America got immediately recruited, being tempted with the advance fee and promise of free acres later. That’s what happened to future San Patricios - they arrived at the height of the USA-Mexico conflict and became soldiers even before they became USA citizens. One of the reasons they deserted and joined enemies was their faith: they were Catholics, right? And in 19th century Ireland Catholics were tenants at best, only a handful of them were listed as householders or tradesmen.

So was John Riley’s father, for example, a tenant farmer and a labourer, and John himself was the fourth of six kids..

Hope you got the idea. I have no time for more deliberate answer now (and can't even re-read what I have typed in a hurry). We may continue later. And you may try a book on the topic – The Rogue's March: John Riley and the St. Patrick's Battalion, 1846-48 by Peter F. Stevens