The aim of rebellion was to remove English control from Irish affairs and it resulted in the 1801 Act of Union.
[7] The melody, from a traditional Irish folk song, was arranged for the United States Marine Band at the request of President Kennedy, whose ancestors hailed from Wexford.
[2] The tune, orchestrated by Nelson Riddle, was later used for the opening and closing theme of the 1964 television series Profiles in Courage, based on Kennedy's book of the same name.
The song also held a prominent place in the political rallies of his younger brother, Senator Ted Kennedy.
Irish folk group, The Clancy Brothers, also recorded "The Boys of Wexford" on the 1995 album, Older But No Wiser.