Ireland's Call chords

by Celtic Thunder

Song Key: D Major with a key change to Eb Major

Time Signature: 12/8

Tempo: 92 bpm (♩.)


Guitar Tuning: E A D G B e

Skill Level: Beginner (see charts for open voicings of all chords)

Guitar Chords: D, Dsus4, G, Bm, A → E♭, A♭, Cm, B♭

Guitar Tutorial: Key Change, Tempo and Timing Tips

Chord Chart Legend
D Major Dsus4 G Major A Major Bm Ab Major Ab Major barre chord Eb Major Eb Major barre chord Bb Major Bb Major barre chord Bb Major barre chord-V2 Cm-open Cm Cm-V2
Lefties Chord Chart Legend
D Major-LH Dsus4-LH G Major-LH A Major-LH Bm-LH Ab Major barre chord-LH Ab Major-LH Eb Major Eb Major barre chord-LH Bb Major-LH Bb Major barre chord-LH Bb Major barre chord-V2-LH Cm-open-LH Cm-LH Cm-V2-LH

Ireland's Call

Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other key 
              
Intro: 12/8 Ireland, Ireland...

   D                G          D
1. Side by side, we stand like bro-thers
   D       Bm             G  A
   One for all and all to-ge-ther
           Bm     G              D       G
   We will stay u-ni-ted through dark-er days
             G     A               D   Dsus4  D
   And we'll be un-beat-able for - e - ver

        D         G
Chorus: Ire-land, Ire-land
           D        Bm        A 
        To-ge-ther, stand-ing tall
        D            G  
        Shoul-der to shoul-der
              D       A          D      G     D
        We'll an-swer Ire-land's call |    -     |

   D                 G        D 
2. Come the day, and come the hour
   D         Bm               G   A
   Some will live in song and sto-ry
           Bm      G           D        G
   We were born to fol-low our guid-ing star
          G        A              D   Dsus4  D
   And to meet our des-ti-ny with glo-ry

        D         G     
Chorus: Ire-land, Ire-land
           D        Bm   
        To-ge-ther, stand-ing tall 
        D            G
        Shoul-der to shoul-der  
              D       A          D       G     D
        We'll an-swer Ire-land's call |     -     |

   D                   G        D
3. Hearts of steel and heads un-bow-ing
   D       Bm           G   A
   Vow-ing ne-ver to be bro-ken
           Bm       G          D        G
   We will fight un-til we can fight no more
            G      A            D     Dsus4  D
   Till our fi-nal re-qui-em is spo - ken

        D         G     
Chorus: Ire-land, Ire-land
           D        Bm        A  
        To-ge-ther, stand-ing tall
        D            G
        Shoul-der to shoul-der
              D       A          D
        We'll an-swer Ire-land's call

Instrumental:|(call)    |        |        |   (key change)|

        Eb        Ab     
Chorus: Ire-land, Ire-land
           Eb       Cm        Bb
        To-ge-ther, stand-ing tall
        Eb           Ab        
        Shoul-der to shoul-der
              Eb      Bb           Eb      Ab 
        We'll an-swer Ire-land's | call -     |
              Eb      Bb         Eb 
        We'll an-swer Ire-land's call...

Guitar Tutorial - Key Change, Tempo and Timing Tips:

  • Key Signature: D Major - 2 sharps (F#, C#)
  • Key Change: E♭ Major - 3 flats ( B♭, E♭, A♭)
  • The key change only comes into play if you are playing with the video... otherwise just play the last chorus the same as the others.
  • If you do play the key change you may need to play some barre chords which are all fairy easy. The E♭, B♭, and A♭ are probably best played in the 2nd position around frets 4-8 where movement from 1 barre chord to the next is within close reach. You will find 2 options for Cm - the first is a little closer to Eb & Bb, but you may prefer the alternative option.
  • Beginners: We have included open voicing for the typical barre chords: B♭, E♭, A♭ and Cm. They are all very easy to play except for Eb which requires a bit of a stretch. To get you out of trouble, simply play the top 3 strings, omitting string 4 (basically a D chord starting on the 3rd fret instead of the 2nd fret)
  • 12/8 time signifies 12 beats to the bar with each beat having a value of an eighth-note or quaver. This beat is commonly seen in marching tunes.

    If you were counting each bar, you could count it as | 1 2 3 4 | where each beat is equal to 3 eighth-notes (4x3=12), in which case you would count each bar as | 1&& 2&& 3&& 4&& | where each of the 12 beats is taken into account... | 123 456 789 10-11-12 |.
  • Tempo: 92 bpm (♩.) means the metronome or click track sounds on every dotted quarter-note which is equal to 3 eighth-notes i.e., beats 1, 4, 7, 10 of the 12 eighth-notes, otherwise the metronome would be flying out the door! 😕

Song Details:

Album Cover
Album Cover
  • Songwriter: Phil Coulter
  • Date: 1995
  • Lyrics Begin: Side by side, we stand like brothers, one for all and all together
  • Performing Artists: Celtic Thunder
  • Genre: Contemporary Folk, Pop/Ballad, Anthem
  • Album: Celtic Thunder
    Released: March 18, 2008
    Country: US
    Format: CD
    Label: Decca Records
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