Wolfe Tones' rebel ballad beats off Bollywood classic to be top choice

The Irish diaspora has topped a world-wide poll to establish which representatives of a former British colony are best at hijacking BBC Internet surveys.

This is one possible interpretation of the fact that A Nation Once Again by the Wolfe Tones has been voted the planet's favourite song in a poll organised by the BBC World Service.

The rebel ballad edged out a patriotic Hindi number, a tune considered "the pop national anthem of Pakistan," and the theme-song from a "Bollywood version of the Godfather", to be the number one choice of the 150,000 who voted. Other catchy songs to make the top 10 were Poovum Nadakkathu Pinchum Nadakkathu by Tamil star Thirumalai Chandran, and Ana wa Laila by a singer described as "the biggest popstar to come out of Iraq". The highest ranked British entries were Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody at No 10, and We Don't Talk Any More by Sir Cliff Richard at 11.

The poll attracted votes from 153 countries, for more than 7,000 songs. It also featured what the BBC called "intense on-line campaigns" by supporters.

Canvassers for A Nation Once Again encouraged voters to register "800 years of oppression" as the reason they were nominating the song, written by Thomas Davis in the 1840s. But the BBC insisted that all attempts at multiple voting had been discounted. The failure of many popular hits to feature is partly explained by split voting. Like Ireland's fetters in the top-ranked song, support for some bands was rent in twain - or 16 times twain in the case of the Beatles, who had 32 nominations.The top ten will be formally revealed today on the World Service's Wright Around the World programme, at 1.06 p.m. GMT.

The Wolfe Tones broke up earlier this year. But further proof that they haven't gone away emerged yesterday when Fine Gael found itself embroiled in controversy over choosing one of the splinter groups to play at its Christmas party.

A Nation Once Again was among the songs performed by "Sons of Erin" - led by former Wolfe Tone, Derek Warfield. But the band also chanted a pro-IRA slogan, "Ooh, Aah, Up the Ra" during one number, provoking a complaint from the organisers.