It seems like nearly all the best known Irish traditional songs were adopted in the last century and a half. That's not surprising really, though, as Ireland went from about 75% Irish speaking to 95% English speaking over that time, helped on the way by Phytophthora infestans, free- market economics and a liberal American immigration policy, and I'm sure we don't begrudge them a few songs to replace the sean-nos.

What rather annoys me though about many of the Irish transhumances is the ready resort to cliche- you'll usually hear the Manchester rambler, even when they keep the Manchester references, starting "I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler"- singing without understanding, or even perhaps thinking.