Clancy Brothers - Four Green Fields Lyrics Meaning

The old woman in the song is Kathleen ni Houlihan, who has always been a symbol of Ireland.

Her four green fields are the four provinces of Ireland: Munster, Leinster, Connaught and the northern province of Ulster.

The strangers, of course, are the British, who conquered Ireland in the Middle Ages, and oppressed them for centuries. The second verse alludes to the great famine, in which millions of Irish either starved or had to leave their homeland forever.

The last verse reflects where Ireland is today: 26 of Ireland's 32 counties are part of a free, independent, democratic nation. But 6 counties (mostly in the province of Ulster) still belong to Great Britain.

The last verse reflects Ireland's hope and faith that, eventually, the last remaining counties will be reunited with the rest of Ireland.