Rob. There is a great tradition alive in Ireland of singing these songs - not just by a tiny minority at small folk clubs, but in the mainstream pubs and at parties & family gatherings. The Irish don't "claim" these songs as many people suggest - they have kept them alive, as part of their own wonderful folk singing tradition.

My Dad was barred from a pub in Brixton in the 1960s for "singing" he couldn't understand why your average Brit thought that anybody who burst into song in a public was a nutter or something. Most folk clubs here unfortunately are in private back rooms. I enjoy sessions that are in the main bar, with mixture of people.