Little Armalite
"Little Armalite" or "My Little Armalite" or "Me Little Armalite" (German: " my little Armalite ") is a music title that belongs to the Irish rebel music , a subgenre of Irish folk . The song celebrates a rifle made by arms manufacturer ArmaLite that was used by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) against British security forces in Northern Ireland .
The song originated in the early 1970s when the IRA was secretly importing modern weapons, including ArmaLite AR-18 rifles, from the United States to Northern Ireland.
In terms of content, the text of the song tells of an IRA member who is first insulted by a British soldier and beaten with a rifle. With his "little Armalite rifle" he is able to defend himself and fight the British Army and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) , a former police unit in Northern Ireland, even if they are equipped with armored vehicles. Each verse of the song celebrates IRA actions and IRA strongholds, including Falls Road in Belfast and Bogside District in Derry .