The "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" single was released by Apple Records on 25 February 1972 in the United Kingdom (as Apple R 5936) and 28 February in the United States (as Apple 1847). It was Wings' debut single release, after the cancellation of their scheduled single from "Wild Life", a reggae-style cover of "Love Is Strange". Further to McCartney's refusal to include the Apple logo on the LP face labels for "Wild Life", five green Irish shamrocks appeared on the single's customised labels. In the US, the song lyrics were reproduced on the yellow paper sleeve enclosing the disc.