Good point, Pete - isn't there a bit of inverted snobbery going on here if the main aim of a singer is to avoid songs that are popular?

I suppose it's a matter of getting the balance right - you don't want to do a song that's been done to death by three or four other regulars at the same venue, but if song is popular everywhere, it may be with good reason.

Reading through this thread, though, it seems to me that there's tremendous variation throughout the country. If you go to local sessions and clubs in your own area, you get to know which are the favourite songs of the regulars, including those that are overdone or often done badly; but if you travel elsewhere, say to a festival, you may find that the same songs can come over as fresh and interesting. The reverse process, alas, may also apply - your carefully-chosen new song may be an old favourite in a different area.

For what it's worth, the one I never want to hear again (but I'm sure I soon will) is Star of the County Down, although that's more of a session song than a club song.

Marje