Origins
Billy Boys originated in the 1920s as the signature tune of the Brigton Boys, a Protestant street gang in Glasgow led by Billy Fullerton. The gang often clashed with Catholic gangs such as the Norman Conks. Fullerton was a former member of the British Fascists, and was awarded a medal for strike-breaking during the 1926 General Strike. The song's geographic roots relate to Bridgeton Cross in Bridgeton, an area of Glasgow historically associated with the city's Protestant population, and with Scottish unionism. Brigton is the Scots form of Bridgeton. Fenian refers to all supporters of Celtic FC and is used as a derogatory name for a member of the Roman Catholic church.
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