This thread has certainly produced some interesting discussion. To get back to the question of whether there is (now) an "English style":

I think there probably is, in the same sense that there is, to my ears, a recognisably American style, Bulgarian style, French style, or Irish style. That's not to say that all American voices (or accents) are the same or that all English voices are the same. But they may have certain features in common that are not so noticeable in other nations' singing styles.

Trying to define it when you hear it all the time is not easy. The original question was comparing English with Irish styles, and that is probably to do with the amount of ornamentation used in singing. What makes English singing sound English may have elements of the language and its regional accents, the church music traditions, and the use (or not) of harmony or accompaniment. People may draw on aspects of the styles of source or revival singers they admire, including the style favoured by travellers. And nowadays, the pervasive influence of pop/R&B etc also contributes to how many people sing (eg the use of sycopation).

All these things and more may affect to the overall sound a singer makes. The singer may say, "I don't think about any of those influences, I'm just me", but their background and preferences will be revealed in their singing nevertheless. It's not something you have to put on, any more than you put on your natural accent when you speak. If you listen to a French or Irish or Italian person singing a song from their own country, there will probably be other influences at work, or at least different balance of influences.

So that's my answer - yes there probably is an English style, but don't ask me to define it!

Marje