The song "Irish Eyes" was written by Brian Warfield as a paean for his mother Kathleen who died of cancer the year previous to its release. A song about emigration to London entitled "My Heart is in Ireland" became a number 2 hit for the band. The song "Celtic Symphony" was written by Warfield in 1987 for the centennial of Celtic Football Club. Other famous songs written by the group include "Joe McDonnell", a song about the life and death of the Provisional IRA member Joe McDonnell who was the fifth person to die on the 1981 Hunger Strike; and "The Protestant Men", a song about some of the notable Protestant Irish nationalists. The band also covered "The Streets of New York" which Liam Reilly from Bagatelle wrote, inspired by stories of the Tones' friendship with NYPD. Warfield also penned his rendition of "The Helicopter Song" which was written by Sean (Jobby) Mc Ginley. "The Helicopter Song" stands as the fastest selling single of all time in Ireland, shooting straight to number one in 1974 as a result of the escape from Mountjoy Jail.