I don't see anything derogatory or bigoted about being interested in songs' origins, or trying to analyse the phenomenon of the "non-Irish" Irish song.

There's a big difference between (on one hand) vaguely Irish songs that are about Ireland or that have been written to express Irish sentiments and (on the other) songs that have been written by Scots, English, Australians etc about their own cultures but which are being passed off as Irish.

Why does it matter? Because it's fair and honest to give credit to the source or composer whenever possible.

And there's another reason: The English (as has been remarked already) are often a bit embarrassed and ignorant of their own traditional songs. If some of the best of these are passed off as Irish, the less informed English audiences will continue to believe that all the good songs and tunes are Irish and that the English tradition has nothing worth listening to.

When I hear songs with dubious Irish credentials sung in exaggerated pseudo-Irish accents by English or American singers, I can't help thinking of how we once used to accept white men with blacked-up faces singing "negro" songs. Some day, maybe, we'll care enough about our own and each other's cultures to stop accepting the Plastic Paddy thing either.

Marje