I would agree about the sentimentality being mawkish, but there are many, many mawkish folk songs which never generate reactions even remotely close to the negative reactions some people have to Danny Boy. What interests me are the ways the song migrated from being an English art song, to becoming a "stage Irish" song in the US, to becoming a standard at weddings and funerals in some sections of the Irish American community, at the same time it became associated with Irish nationalism and the IRA in England, yet remained largely unknown in Ireland until possibly the last 20 or so years of the 20th century.

If you look at the reactions to the song in a detached and dispassionate way, you see how really over the top the negative reactions are among people overly concerned and seemingly obsessed with the "cultural authenticity" issues surrounding this song, or those who are so angered by what they believe is an obvious association between the song and Irish republicans in North America.

In reality, that association is pretty ludicrous. To me, the negative reaction to this song is out of all proportion to what the song means within certain segments of the Irish American community which embrace the song. You just don't see that sort of a history with most other mawkish, sentimental songs.

Also, there is an interesting history of the song in Ireland, which is rarely addressed. For instance, John McCormack, an ardent nationalist, never recorded Danny Boy, despite it's popularity in the US where he recorded and performed frequently.

Many Irish people have never even heard of the song, which raises the question--why the negative association of this song with Irish republicans to begin with? It isn't a part of the republican and nationalist song canon in Ireland.

Not too many songs are going to have such a convoluted history. I could care less about the origins of the tune. What is fascinating to me are the ways the Anglo vs Irish cultural identity wars are fought over the lyrics by Fred Weatherly.