Mmmm..

What can I say.. apart from feeling somewhat dismayed by some of the postings to this thread...

I can't help but feel that the " art form" of the songwriter has been somewhat subjected to parody here...

I'll leave aside the rather pertinent fact that whatever the content of any given song relies heavily upon the melody for a moment and concerntrate on the lyrics..

Writing lyrics for a song is the same as trying to write poetry.. first off you need inspiration. i.e. an idea for a theme.. secondly you need "knowledge" . that is of whatever it is you're writing about.

To write a love song you need to be able to express in words your feelings/commitments/devotions to an individual (be it person or country).. without falling into the commercial trap that so many so called (and I hate to say this American) songsmiths have done so in the past..
The " best" love songs tend to be about unrequitted or lost loves.. they tend to have more empathy attached to them.. even if not re an individual.. just look at Phil Couler's Town I Loved So Well.. a classic "Love Song"..

I also think that you shouldn't be trying to force to genres of music together.. i.e. celtic and the love song unless it naturally falls in place for you...

The best songs come from the heart (despite what American hacks might say to the contray).. and having thought/compossed a song about that most glorious thing this life has to offer us.. i.e. love.. be it fulfilled or unrequied .. any song that truly reaches out to us and generates a feeling of understanding (whatever the so called musical genre)... will last in time..

Mick