Thanks folks, delighted as ever with the responses
Thanks for the Broadside CND (wonder if I ever met you on a march :-) Haven't had time to get to ITMA yet
Can I just say where I'm at at present
I started off with Tom Munnelly's list of 50 Irish Child ballads (I'll pass that on to whoever wants it) - I managed to find sound examples (from source singers) of all but two, for which I am awaiting the Folklore Department's promise to fill the gaps
I then began to look elsewhere and immediately added another dozen from Ireland - Bronson, Sam Henry and Child mainly
Then I started to explore the US, Canadian collections, and pushed the total up further - New England and Newfoundland have been incredible so far   
I was about to leave it there when I decided to include all the versions I could find rather than single examples of each ballad
We attended a lecture on a early 19th century piper by Jimmy Moran O'Brien last year and he said, "did you now there are ballad tunes in some of the old piping Ms books?"
It seems this project is as long as I can manage to take it before the Dreaded Lurgi strikes us all down

At persent I am trying to identify the Irish singers in Karpeles', Creighton, Fowke, Peacock, and particularly H.H. Flanders and 'British Ballads from Maine'
I looked in the latter last night (thanks again Steve) - there are four 'Captain Wards', none are clearly given an Irish source, but a couple might have been - I'm not sure if there is any way of checking

I wonder if any of you know about Ben Henneberry ?
He was of Irish stock and sings superb ballads, including a 'False Knight on the Road' which he got from his Irish father - I'm wondering how many other of his ballads came from that source
Karpeles describes "remote Irish communities like Stock Cove' in Newfoundland from which she recorded songs; she says most of her singers were Irish but in some cases she doesn't say which

Anybody interested will be welcome to the results of all this when it is finished, of course - that's what it's about
Thanks again
Jim