There is an entry at  The Traditional Ballad Index,  which is of limited use as it contains only two references; one to Laws, one to the DT file:  Pat O'Brien [Laws P39]

Tom Lenihan, the traditional singer from Clare, has a version of Pat O'Brien, and has recorded it twice: on Songs Traditional in West Clare (Topic Records 12TS363) and on The Mount Callan Garland (Comhairle Bhéaloideas Éireann, CBE003, 1994).  The latter is a book accompanied by two cassette tapes, and appears still to be available.

Malcolm

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Pat O'Brien [Laws P39]

DESCRIPTION: Pat asks Nancy to meet him. Having decided not to marry her, he stabs her. Her ghost tells her mother of the crime. Her body is found and Pat arrested. The ghost keeps appearing to him, finally inducing him to confess. He is hanged
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1909 (Greig/Duncan2)
KEYWORDS: homicide ghost execution gallows-confession
FOUND IN: US(NE) Ireland Britain(Scotland(Aber)) Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Laws P39, "Pat O'Brien"
Greig/Duncan2 203, "Pat O'Brien" (1 text)
Munnelly/Deasy-TheMountCallanGarland-Tom-Lenihan 10, "Pat O'Brien" (1 text, 1 tune)
Flanders/Ballard/Brown/Barry-NewGreenMountainSongster, pp. 131-135, "Pat O'Brien" (1 text, 1 tune)
Guigné-ForgottenSongsOfTheNewfoundlandOutports, pp. 300-302, "Pats O'Brien" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 516, PATOBRI
Roud #1919
RECORDINGS:
John Kehoe, "Pat O'Brien" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
Mrs. K. McCarthy, "Pat O'Brien" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
Charlie Williams, "Patrick Power (Parker)" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter (The Gosport Tragedy; Pretty Polly) [Laws P36A/B]" (theme)
NOTES [81 words]: "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter" is just the first similar ballad that came to mind. As Munnelly notes, "it is a classic of the type of murder ballads which eminated from the popular broadsheet presses of the 19th century." Munnelly also remarks on the "popularity of this song in oral tradition." I don't have a broadside example yet.
The Charlie Williams MUNFLA/Leach recording at first names the ship's carpenter "Patrick Power (Parker?)" but later names the murderer "Pat O'Brien." - BS
Last updated in version 4.2
File: LP39

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