Strictly speaking, I believe it was not the Fan at all, but that is a small matter.
Brave men have toiled across the sea
To bring those rifles in,
With helm held stoutly hard-a-lee
Amid the breakers' din.
I am not at all certain of the accuracy of the term "hard-a-lee" in this connection, but what a fine sense of stedfast heroism that run of aspirates awakened. "With helm held stoutly hard-a-lee."
Amid the breakers' strident cry
They kept their courage cool,
For thus, they said, Home Rule must die,
We will not have Home Rule!