Agreed, certainly. (Though, if The Chieftains chose to do Four Green Fields I'd be a bit surprised. Not exactly their style.)

Tommy Makem's (and The Makem Brothers') website has an extensive listing of lyrics, all of which have the notation "©2002 Makem.com". Presumably this indicates a copyrighting of the *website* as such, not the songs --- many of which are, more-or-less, traditional. Of course specific known authorship is noted in many cases. The lyrics to "Four Green Fields" specify "- Words and music by Tommy Makem" but, oddly, don't specify copyright *other* than that boilerplate "©2002 Makem.com." Various other songs written by Makem also indicate that fact, some with year of authorship & bit of commentary etc.; & some also *do contain an additional copyright notation*; e.g.,

"FREEDOM'S SONS - Words and music by Tommy Makem
Early 1966
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the
Easter Rising of 1916
Copyright 1966"

or -- one of my personal favorites :) --

"IN THE TOWN OF BALLYBAY
(air: 'The Limerick Races')
- - Words by Tommy Makem
In Sydney, Nova Scotia
May 11, 1977
Copyright 1977".

Maybe yer man *forgot* to copyright "Four Green Fields". Jeez. Ya never know, do ye? / But anyway, I (and I'm sure others, if any, ignorant of copyright matters:) do appreciate the good info herein, as in other pertinent threads.

-- T. Pooka (©1948 :)