Heard the Galway Shawl for the first time a few days ago, and have now listened to several versions of the song. While I would not call it a great song, it is pretty, and a bit sad. I have now read all four threads on Mudcat and do not care a bit about the the author. I am curious if there is any significance to the term Galway shawl. In one thread it was mentioned there were four styles. In one youtube performance, the singer indicated the wearing of the shawl indicated that the wearer was betrothed. This was not mentioned in any of the threads on Mudcat. Is that an Irish tradition, or was it an Irish tradition to wear a shawl to indicate impending marriage?