Unfortunately, when you play on St. Patrick's Day you will get requests for what I call the "cheesy" Irish songs. These songs are what the general public will think of as the "classic" Irish folk song. I've complained over the years but I've come to the realization that it's better to placate your audience by learning a couple of these songs than fighting with them. The other way of handling this situation is to say up front before accepting the gig that you don't do those kinds of songs and take your chances with the audience.