Who is Gary Owen and why did Custer use the tune named after him as the marching song for his last duty assignment (7th Cavalry)?  Well Garryowen is not a person but a place.  Garryowen is a park in Limerick, Ireland.  Its name comes from the Irish-Gaelic Garraí Eóin (pronounced GAR-ree OH-en), which means Owen’s Garden. Note: Letter groups that are capitalized indicate the stressed syllables.

So how did this become the name of the official tune of the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, and probably the most famous of all United States Military musical tunes, excepting the Marine Corps Hymn of course.  (Yes I served in the Marine Corps.    How did you guess?)

To answer this we must go back to 12th Century Ireland,  to an upward slope of a hill outside of what was then the city of Limerick.  Local traditions and folk lore have preserved the historical significance of the area, which is now part of the present day city of Limerick, where the name Garryowen still represent the park there, as well as the surrounding neighborhood, and the local professional rugby team. 

At this particular location, overlooking the Shannon River and King John’s Castle, a park was set up to resemble the tea gardens that were popular in and around London at that time. The Park was on the same grounds as a cottage once owned by a man named Eóin, hence the name Garraí Eóin, meaning Owen's garden.  This was later anglicized and formed into the compound word, Garryowen.

Garryowen became a popular park for young and old during that period.  It also became the nighttime hangout of many of the young men of the area.  These young men, tended to indulge in certain liquid refreshment which often led to somewhat rowdy behavior such as wringing heads off geese, destroying door knockers,  breaking of street lamps, as well as occasional brawls.

The notoriety of the “Garryowen Boys” spread, and some unknown minstrel of the day wrote the lyrics and the melody to celebrate their debaucherous behavior.  There is some limited historical reference to an otherwise unknown bard called “Jackson of Cork,” as being responsible for the music and original words to “Garryowen..”   In 1807, the Irish poet Thomas Moore wrote the poem “ The Daughters of Erin” (A.K.A.: “We May Roam Through This World”) to go with the tune.

“Garryowen” was first used as a Regimental March by the Royal Irish Regiment, that was organized in 1684 by the Earl of Grannar for King William.  This regiment saw service in all parts of the world and received the title of “The Royal Regiment of Foot of Ireland.”  The Fifth Royal Irish Lancers home was in Limerick, and “Garryowen” became there unofficial drinking song.  Quite a few other Irish Regiments adopted Garryowen as there unofficial drinking tune.

The first record of it “Garryowen” being utilized by United States military unit dates back to 1851, when the Irish immigrants of New York City formed a local militia unit, originally called the Second Regiment of Irish Volunteers, and later that year became officially recognized as the 69th Regiment of the New York State Militia.  At the time of their formation, the unit selected “Garryowen” as their official marching song.  This unit was later to become known as the famous “Fighting 69th” with a long history of courageous service starting with the Civil War.  Today the 69th is officially the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry (Mechanized) of the New York National Guard. 

Many of the troopers of the 7th Cavalry were of Irish origin, and, not surprisingly, the tune was quite popular as a drinking song. The story is that Custer heard some of his troopers humming this tune, and he liked the lively gait and adopted it as the official marching tune of the 7th Cavalry in 1867.  In fact “Garryowen” was played for Custer’s men as they commenced their march toward their fate at the Little Bighorn in 1876.

Historically the 7th Cavalry regiment has been called “Garryowen” as stated on the Regiments’s official patch. 

When  Troopers of the 7th Cavalry Regiment exchange salutes, they say, “Garryowen.” In 1981, the 7th Cavalry Regiment’s parent unit, the 1st Cavalry Division, also adopted Garryowen as its official tune.

On the Front page for this months Seanchaoi you heard a more traditional rendition of garryowen. To hear a Bag Pipe rendition click here: gowen-pipe.mid .

These are the original words, possibly authored by a “Jackson of Cork” 

Thomas Moore (1779-1852), the celebrated Irish poet, wrote these Lyrics to go with the tune in 1807. 

Prior to the 7th Cavalry’s departure for the Philippines in 1905, Chief Musician J. O. Brockenshire, of the 7th Cavalry Band wrote the following version of "Garry Owen.