Realism and 'The Mountains of Mourne'

I noticed reading through the critiques of EFFB that several posters remarked on "The Mountains of Mourne" being anachronistic being played at a dance during the Civil War. The lyrics of "The Mountains of Mourne" WERE written in 1896, by Percy French, I believe, but the melody is an old Irish folk melody which goes back at least to the 18th century, and was published as the melody of one of Thomas Moore's Irish Melodies ("Bendemeer's Stream") in the early years of the 19th century. Moore lived from 1779 to 1852. It was probably a well-known melody to musicians in the 1860's as Moore was extremely popular. In a movie full of unreality, this actually is okay.

Incidentally, I wonder if the choice of this melody was an ironic comment on the gaudy dresses Eleanor Parker wore in this film, with the French lyrics about the "fine ladies who don't wear no tops to their dresses at all" and with forms which "nature never designed".

I think that many notice "The Mountains of Mourne" because it is a really beautiful rendition and certainly romantic. It is also ironic that it is played while Parker dances with Forsythe and not Holden.

I noticed that posters tend to judge this movie on historical accuracy, which of course it fails. But John Ford was mentioned, as were spaghetti westerns, and I find both at least as unrealistic in thier own ways as this film.