I've always heard this song claimed by both Scots and Irish, interesting to see the Nova Scotia contender.

The Corries sing

"I wish I was away in Ingle,"

In the Irish versions

"I wish I was away in Eigle,"


DonD:

"were there really Irish Dragoons marching through Fife,"

As someone above has said it wasn't Fife but the town of Fyvie, and Irish Dragoons most certainly, possibly as part of Montrose's forces. One story goes that the townsfolk of Aberdeen were so terrified of this particular contingent that Montrose stopped them short of Aberdeen and quartered them in Fyvie. Their Captain became enamoured of a daughter of the house, who rejected his advances and poisoned him.

"what's the proper name of the town where they had to carry him, which is spelled various ways in different transcriptions?"

Noo lang ere we cam
Tae auld Meldrum town
We had oor Captain tae carry-o
And lang ere we cam
Tae bonnie Aberdeen
We had oor captain tae bury-o