"Dear Mr Carroll,"
You can call me Jim - even my enemies do.
"Nevertheless for you lot to have a Calton Weaver or a Wild Rover to sing about, "
You're assuming (wrongly) that that is what the Irish traditional repertoire is about
Best of three worlds here; Irish language, Native Irish in English; Anglo (and Scots) Irish.
There have been more Child ballads (50+) recorded from source singers in Ireland in the last thirty years than in the rest of these islands including several that have been missing from the repertoire for centuries (Maid and the Palmer, Tam Linn, Prince Robert, Lord Gregory, Suffolk Miracle, Green Wedding, William and Margaret, Lamkin, Johnny Scott) - many from Travellers. Most popular round here is probably Lord Lovell, closely followed by The Suffolk Miracle. The only field recording of The Demon Lover was recorded in Roscommon in 1983.
Don't judge the repertoire by The Dubliners and The Clancy Brothers - that's what they feed to tourists (because that's what they expect).
And the singing standard..... magic!
Dick
"it is a fragment"
It is a fragment - don't think it's ever been collected as a full version.
Jim Carroll