Thanks Jim and all who have helped. I am in no doubt that there WERE mining songs in Ireland, although the industry was never on the scale of that in UK, and it always had a rural aspect- there are great photos from Arigna of earlier days, all very rural, if a little blighted by the relics of industry- interesting though!
I lived in East Kent in the 80s, and recall the view of Tilmanstone Colliery near Deal, with fields of apple blossom behind- an amazing sight- don't think any songs survive from there either?
The survival of much of the Co Durham and Scottish repertoire may well be due to collectors in those intensely industrial areas since WW2.
So as far as I'm aware, the equivalent never happened in Ireland, where such concentrated industry simply never existed anyway.
So it seems a whole tranche of industrial song has been totally lost, if it ever existed!