There is much about Irish history I don't know. In SFTH, in which Chloe sings "Galway Bay", there is a reference to "the strangers who scorned us just for being what we are". So just WHO are these strangers that the song is referring to?
The strangers are the English. I'll admit that I don't know all the details, but I do know that the English were in control of Ireland for a very long time before they achieved independance (I want to say it started around the reign of Henry VIII). They basically forbid the Irish to be...well, Irish. They weren't allowed to speak their language, practice their religion (Ireland was Catholic, England was Protestant), and many other things for fear of persecution. Those are of course just the basics of the situtation. Someone else could probably do a much better job at explaining it than I.
Having that knowledge though makes the song much more powerful to listen to, hence why it is one of my favorite Celtic Woman songs.
EDIT: After searching around on the forum (others have asked the same question
), "praties" are what the Irish call potatoes.