I'm sure this must have been discussed before, but couldn't find any mention. The Brady version has Arthur and his cousin out for a tramp on the beach - on Christmas morning! Be it set in Ireland, England or Scotland, would people really be going for a recreational walk on a British beach in the middle of winter - and on Christmas morning - and would the recruiting guards be out working as well?

Always struck me as odd, but then, I'm in Australia where Christmas morning is generally 25-30 degrees Celsius.....

(Great essay on the song here, BTW.... https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2015/12/arthur-mcbride-carrie-grover-paul-brady-and-rosanne-cash-more-about-a-classic-song/ )