I dunno. "There's whiskey in the jar" is an unlikely chorus for a Goodnight. Tune also seems a little cheerful for the purpose.

The Irish aren't shy; if it was intended as an Irish vs. English rewrite, I'd expect that theme to be obvious rather than hidden. And since the singer is functionally blaming his woman more than his captors, that'd be an odd feature of a political ballad unless she was explicitly considered a traitor and punished for it.

But then, I'm not a scholar of the subject, just a fan.

--Nonie