Johnston's Motor Car is an Irish rebel song written by Willie Gillespie based on the commandeering of a motor car belonging to a Doctor Johnston by the Irish Republican Army.

History

The song is based on a real event in 1920. 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 Henry Johnston, the local doctor, and then ambush him and his car at a railway bridge and commandeer the car for the IRA. He was sent a telegraph Johnston received a telegraph asking him to attend to a Mrs. Boyle. On his way there, he found the Reelin Bridge barricaded by the IRA, who forced him to give them his car.

Composition

William Gillespie, a local poet, wrote the song shortly after the event. 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.