Thinks to Fionn. You are one of the only ones who has got my point. The buyers of these song book are not getting what they are paying for. In my book an "Irish song" has to be written by someone who is known to be Irish... or has to be Irish traditional... and accepted as such. The point someone made about "Song for Ireland" is just not valid. It is an English song about an Englishman's impression of Ireland whilst he was staying there.
High Germany is not a German song just because it mentions Germany... It too is English.... despite being in a book of "Irish Songs" I have.
I cannot accept that Forty shades of green by Johnny Cash is Irish... again in another book of "Irish songs". And as for James Last being an "Irish Artiste".. this really beggers belief.
As for the points some are trying to make about the origins of English/Scots/Irish going back 1500 or more years ... this really is silly when I'm generally talking about contemporary songs.... and the people we term as Irish nowadays.
Am I supposed to consider myself as German in this day and age... just because I have Saxon ancestry .. this line of argument is just daft.