Lord Randall is an interesting one. We do a theme concert where we present songs from the British Isles and their counterparts from America. (With a few from Australia.) In it we compare Lord Randal with "Billy Boy". Before the internet we didn't know that "Billy Boy" was first published in England. May not mean much but it did make our show more complicated.
While involved in a study of 19th century performers I've found so many of the songs, involved in this discussion, that were taken to America from the British Isles -- mainly England -- by performers during that time. Their versions add another layer of complexity. I've suspected, for example, that Sam Cowell's version of Lord Lovell replaced versions in oral tradition. If indeed they were ever in America, in oral tradition, before his tour there. Sam Cowell actually inserted supernatural elements into songs he re-wrote -- or took them out -- as the fancy took him.
Such fun. So complicated. Hope I live long enough to untangle a bit more.
Cheers, Joy