English rule in Northern Ireland has always been an ongoing issue, but there have been many rebel groups that have fought this. In the 1970’s an emerging group called the IRA (Provisional Irish Republican Army) began to stir up more rebellion and fight against english rule. In 1993 the IRA planted a bomb in Warrington that killed two young boys and injured 54 civilians. These actions inspired the Cranberries hit song Zombie.
The lead singer of the cranberries, Dolores O’Riordan, wrote this song as soon as she had heard about these attacks and channeled all of her emotions into the song.
Another mother’s breaking
Heart is taking over
When the violence causes silence
We must be mistaken
It’s the same old theme
Since nineteen-sixteen
These lines truly speak to the issues going on at the time, two young boys died because of these radicals’ actions. O’Riordan wrote lyrics that spoke to the true level of injustice going on. By talking about the victims’ families and how violence is not the answer to english occupation in northern ireland. These conversations had been going on during this time but as history proves to many people, unfortunately change doesn’t always happen until tragedy strikes.
https://www.theage.com.au/world/the-ira-a-brief-history-20050312-gdzrqd.html
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