> From: GUEST,Lighter
>
> Such ghosts do appear in some ballads, but we're talking "Lowlands" here.

Yes, the classic example that has come down to us being "She Moves Through The Fair", for which I have photocopied sheet music from p46-48 of a now unknown old book from some now unknown local UK library ascribing it to "Pádraic Colum - Adapted from an old ballad, Co Donegal" with a reference H6116, and which, interestingly, could perhaps be considered to have a similar tune as the modern "Lowlands Away" (I'm relying totally on aging recollection of both for this thought)?

It seems from the excellent research presented above that actually we may be talking about the modern "folk process" merging two different songs. One was definitely a shanty/work song probably originating in the cotton exporting ports of North America, and which seems to have been called "Lowlands". The other is less certain, but may have been "The Lowlands Of Holland", a derivative of it, or just another similar song.

The trigger for the merging may have been nothing more than the commonality of the word "Lowlands" in the titles of both, leading some, notably Masefield, to suppose a deeper connection than ever existed in fact.

Despite the doubts as to its authenticity, I still like the modern version of "Lowlands Away", as sung by The Corries for an excellent example, but perhaps it should not be described as being a shanty!