Yes, I thought there was a relationship between some (musical) phrases in the two sets of the air you mention, which I first learnt in the "Terence's Farewell" way. I wonder can any Irish person, preferably familiar with Cork & Kerry place-names, give me some guidance upon pronunciation. For instance, I would think "Clondrochid" has a stress on the second syllable, that is, "clon-DRO-chid", although to follow the musical notes easily the stress must be placed upon the first, "CLON-dro-chid". Secondly, how is "Lough Guitane" pronounced? Finally, while loughs and mountains are more poetic in association than villages, perhaps the problematic "Lough Sheelin" was originally just "Lisheen", which is again in the general locations where I think the song is set. Of course, then I'd wish to know whether it's "li-SHEEN", which I think likely and which would fit, or is it "LI-sheen"?

I notice you write "the songS". If you can track down another, I'd be most grateful to learn it too, although I'm happy to have eventually got almost to a satisfactory way of this one. The two versions I've heard differ only (apart from a few words) in that one has only four verses, having the first half of the third (above) followed by the second half of the fourth. I should think this is evidence of someone having forgotten, or deliberately omitted, the missing lines, since these two verses are themselves coherent. That is, the first is to do with the progress of the Seasons and with, ultimately, disease, age and death, while the second is a series of impossible events, common enough in ballad and song.

I think it's one of the best traditional songs I've encountered for quite a while.