Johnston's Motor Car is an Irish rebel song written by Willy Gillespie based on the commandeering of a motor car belonging to a Doctor Johnston by the Irish Republican Army.
The song was very popular in Ireland in the 1920s before being rediscovered and covered by bands like The Dubliners and Flying Column (music group), although the more modern versions have slightly different lyrics; Johnston is often replaced with Johnson as well, as in the Clancy Brothers version.
The song describes how an Irish Republican Army unit needed transport to a town over fifty miles away, but had no car to carry them. They decided to call out Doctor Johnston and then ambush him and his car at a railway bridge and commandeer the car for the IRA. The song is based on real events.
Read more about Johnston's Motor Car: Lyrics (Popular), Lyrics (Original)
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