The Clancys pretended everything they played was Irish

I would argue against this statement. Their albums typically say little one way or another whether the songs are Irish or not. In concert, they talk about some of the songs as they introduce them, but most of the time it's about the song, not where they learned it, or even who wrote it (this is a pity, but it was common - hell, they didn't typically make a big deal about the songs Tommy Makem wrote. Their Irish Songbook simply states for The Wild Rover: "The story of a young man reformed from drinking, this is quite a popular song in Ireland, England, and Australia."

The liner notes from In Concert clearly states: Peggy Gordon: "is a love song from Scotland." Mick McGuire: "one of the rowdiest of all vaudeville songs." In This Windy Old Weather: "was borrowed with thanks from Pete Seeger."

Maybe - for simplicity's sake - they were often refered to as Irish Singers - this might be a unfortunate simplification, but it happens all the time. (After 30+ years of recording, Jimmy Buffett still cannot be "labeled")


As for the other two issues stated, I cannot argue with either. One is merely a stylistic choice they made (most likely fostered by the fact that Tom and Paddy were actors aas well).