Having previously hosted successful symposia on The Smiths, Riot Grrl and David Bowie, those clever people at the University of Limerick are at it again. Next week a two-day symposium (April 30-Friday May 1) examines the nature of social protest, and takes into account “the radical contexts of music” as being central to “examining processes of empowerment and disempowerment in the current neoliberal age”.

Which is all very well and good, but how does one go about writing a bona fide protest song? Here’s our three-step guide.

Be annoyed about something
Being irritated about most things will inspire you to vent your true feelings. If you can't think of any topics or themes that irritate you (not being able to open the lid off a large jar of beetroot won't cut it), then check out the Twitter timelines of various media commentators – most of these people are angry at everything, and can regularly provide rich pickings for those that aren't.

Deliver your message
This should provocatively challenge the status quo and reach as big an audience as possible. To do this, you need brash rhetoric; your lyrics should include contentious words such as "enemy" and "oppression", and pithy phrases such as "up against the wall" and "we're not gonna take it". It also helps to have a well chosen swear word in there, as this make the listener feel you really mean what you sing.

Come up with a decent melody
Relevant social topics, political themes and emotive sentiments are fine, but if you can't whistle the tune then what's the point? Rage Against the Machine take note.