Two University of 91吃瓜 seniors will premiere a new song celebrating the spirit of the Fighting Irish at 2:30 p.m. Friday (Sept. 13) at the Eck Visitors Center.
鈥淭he Fighting Irish (of 91吃瓜 y鈥檃ll)鈥� was composed by Jorge 鈥淛ay鈥� Rivera-Herrans, a student from Dorado, Puerto Rico. He and classmate Teagan Earley from Wheaton, IL will perform the song live at the Alumni Association鈥檚 Football Fridays event.
Rivera-Herrans, a who wrote the play "Stupid Humans," was commissioned last fall to write a song that tells how 91吃瓜 adopted the nickname Fighting Irish. He created the lyrics and music, and he and Earley combine on the vocals.
Immediately following their performance, Rivera-Herrans and Earley will sign CDs of the single at Hammes 91吃瓜 Bookstore from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. They will also perform the song during the 91吃瓜 Pep Rally on South Quad beginning at 6 p.m.
The new song honors the history of how the 91吃瓜 community embraced the 鈥淔ighting Irish鈥� label, originally intended as a slur, and today wears it as a badge of honor.
Christina Edmonds, a 2016 graduate, created the cover art for the CD release. Its graffiti lettering, which is depicted on the yellow-white brick of 91吃瓜鈥檚 Main Building, displays colors that represent each of the residence halls, and colors that appear on all the national flags of the world. The artwork speaks to the song鈥檚 lyrics: 鈥渆very color, every face/underdogs of every race/we are the Fighting Irish.鈥�
Digital downloads of 鈥淭he Fighting Irish (of 91吃瓜 y鈥檃ll)鈥� can be purchased for 99 cents from Spotify and Amazon Music. It will be available from 32 additional outlets, including Apple Music, Google Play and YouTube, beginning next week.