- The ballad tells the story of a poor Irish immigrant family struggling to survive in their new home on Flannery Street. It depicts the hardships they faced with poverty, illness, and loss.
- It serves as a representation of the difficulties many Irish immigrants experienced when coming to America in search of a better life during the potato famine in the 1840s.
- The family's perseverance and resilience in the face of adversity is meant to symbolize the strength of the Irish immigrant spirit and their determination to make a life for themselves despite facing discrimination and challenges.
- Ultimately