Haven't actually got a bee in my bonnet, so Gulliver can relax. Its no big deal really. I certainly have nothing against kids in Dublin streets singing it their way. Of course, like everyone else, I realise songs travel and are modified at the various places they pass through. This is a natural part of the folksong tradition. However, I feel there is a case for at least trying to remain relatively true to the original when performing songs, especially if the orginal is just from 90 miles up the road (an hours drive away). Im talking here about "formal" performance, ie. a group recording it in a studio and releasing it as a record. Not kids singing it in the street. I dont particularly like the idea of people singing/recording, say "The Cliffs of Doneen" and changing it to the "Cliffs of Dover" or "Scarborough Fair" and changing it to "Ballycastle Fair". Its something about integrity and "growing your own". I see it as a sort of cultural plagairism. I think this is an emotional reaction common to most of us. The fact is this song enjoyed its big surge of popularity in the early 60s in Ireland. I remember it was sung all over Ireland as "the belle of Belfast City". The Dubliners Im sure must have been aware of this, yet, when they recorded it they changed it to "Dublin City". It just seems a bit off to me. Im sure Dubliners like Gulliver would feel a bit peeved if Belfast people started singing and recording, "In Belfast's fair city where the girls are so pretty I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone"(eh Gulliver?).

Actually, I may be being a bit unfair to The Dubliners group (though they're big boys and Im sure they can take it!). The fact is, where non Irish songs are concerned they have an excellent record when it comes to remaining true to the orginal. This is particularly true with Scottish songs with Luke Kelly regularly even going so far as to put on a very good Scots accent. I think his performance of one of of my favourite songs, "Come all ye tramps and hawkers", which he sings in Scots dialect throughout, is an absolute MASTERPIECE!! However, when it comes to Irish songs a bit of southern bias tends to creep in and can be be detected in the way they modify things and even in their selection of songs. That's all im saying.   

One last point, I dont agree with Gulliver that this song is of English origin. Its got Irish and Belfast written all over it!