Good point Leadfingers, though 'The Tommy Note' is suggested in many places to be the one and only traditional British Canal song. There were a few that featured on Broadsides or were written a long time ago and could be said to have entered the tradition. I hope to seek out some of these broadside sources when time permits and perhaps include images on the site.
There does seem to be a lot of modern canal songs which hark back to the times of canal building and what we imagine boating life to have been and perhaps some over romanticise the boaters' lifestyle. I have little time for modern songs which complain about the effect pleasure boaters have had on canal life. Canals were never going to compete commercially in the modern world. Pleasure boaters are providing much of the finances (thanks to British Waterways aggressive pricing policy) which should be keeping the canals in good condition - but that's another story. By definition, pleasure boaters are enjoying the canals and that is as it should be. I hope to discover more songs about the joys of modern canal boating.