"who can forget the dubliners?!"
I for one cannot or would not want to...I spent part of my childhood in Dublin (the rest in Galway and Clare) and the Dubliners were always being played in the house. I grew up with the great traditional music scene of the seventies and used to go watch live performances of Planxty, Stocktons Wing, DeDanann, Clannad and so on. I spent some memorable evenings in pubs like the Wexford inn listening and singing along with Ballad groups like the Wolfe Tones and even played in an amateur traditional/ballad band. Usually we played for beer
Ireland has a strong nautical as well as musical tradition and it is natural that some great songs of the sea would come of of that tradition.
Here's a Scottish song of the sea that I love...by Silly Wizard: The Fishermans Song.