Clueless Don, the song is certainly found in the Irish tradition. I remember recording the late Willie Nichol (Co. Antrim) singing it in the 1960s. He said that he had learned the song from a singer who was killed at the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Mind you, it was a somewhat different version from that of some English singers I've heard, including the version recorded by Banddoggs (Nic Jones and friends).