Many thanks, Steve Shaw, for the details. McCormack's father (Andrew) was from Scotland, Galashiels, so maybe he was considered better educated by the employers than a local, given the reputation for learning and literacy which used to be justified.
I've already applied for the Irish Passport to which I too am entitled, since, quite apart from the whole "Brexit" business, rather than be a Subject in a hereditary
monarchy no matter how venerated I would prefer to be a Citizen in a republic, no matter how corrupt.
With regard to the original idea, maybe the first one could be problematic in some places, since whatever the admirable emphasis on unity in the original, there is now an alternative version with some lines which are not what you would call "inclusive". I've always thought Andrew Cherry's song, "The Dear Little Shamrock", a good example of a song which is both light-hearted and seemingly inconsequential, yet at the same time with the potential for a deeper "resonance" (depending on which verses are given). Good Luck.