"What was this meant to illustrate? Just how good Ewan was at attempting a Scottish accent? "£
Ewan grew up with a Scottish/Salford acccent as did many Irish children I knew in Liverpool and London - his mother told me that and when I stayed with then for a time conversations between mother and son were virtually impenetrable
Pat always knows when I am talking to my sisters on the phone because I lapse into the Livrpoolese I grew up with unconsciously   
He adapted his natural accent to hi love of Scots songs as an actor does in order to gain popularity for them - particularly the ballads
Does a teacher or a computer programmer sing in the language of his songs
Lat's face it - is a Glaswegian singing an Aberdeenshire ballad not adapting his or her natural way of speaking to sing the ballad?
I got my lifelong love of the ballads by hearing Ewan singing and prozletising for which I will be eternally grateful so any snideswipes any his accent tend tot be water off a duck's back   
The song was, as far as I'm concerned, a healthy satire on an iffy attitude to folk song by a shark
Believe what you want about Ewan and Paggy's royalties - Peggy is still with us so you could always ask her

"Are you really saying that popular songs have no depth or complexity while folk songs do, Jim?"
absolutely Dave - that's why they come with a sell-by date and are replaced as often as they are - just like chewing gum
There may be a few exceptions of course but in the main, they contain nothing and are replaced because it is profitable to do so
Many of them are having a second life in being used to sell everything from toothpaste to sanitary towels

Howard, my experience was very much not yours but the points you make are important ones so, rather than knock of a quick response I would much rather think about what you wrote and reply later
Up to my arse in Irish Child Ballads at the moment
Thanks
Jim