Right - gig over, back to the research...

On the original vinyl album, the text is pretty much the same. The only differences are:

"...I met a fair maid and she bleachin' her clothes" (which is what FHR actually sing)

"By the high hill of Howth, by the hole in my coat" - which I (alongside Martin) thought was probably the case - it's interesting, cos I can see that "Howen" got put in because whoever retyped the lyrics for the CD read it wrong, as the vinyl lyrics are in a weird font, and it DOES look like Howen! but I can see it's actually Howth.

It definitely says Strand Ballymore - which I reckon just means the Strand (beach) of Ballymore, no problem there.

And - there IS a Ballylangford in Kerry, so why shouldn't that be correct? I'm for keeping that in.

You're probably right about Timon, can imagine that might've been misheard orignally when someone learned/transcribed it when hearing it sung.

Does that cover it, Joe?

:)