I have the Frank Harte CD and it is excellent. There are some very good liner notes on the history of Europe at the time, including a section on Napoleon and the Irish-- who were struggling to free themselves from British rule, and had the example of America' war for independence in front of them. Many of the pro-Napoleon ballads are of Irish origin for this reason.

Whatever you think of all of this political stuff, some of the best ballads in the English language are in this catagory, and not a few of them are on this cd. (Many of them I'd catagorize as anti-war ballads...) And if you like simple, unadorned (but not unornamented!)traditional Irish singing, this is some of the finest. Much of it is unaccompanied; where it is accompanied, Donal Lunny never takes center stage but always gives the singer the preference.
It took me a long time to track the cd down but it was well worth it.

Bekki