Charles Villiers Stanford 
National Song Book [PDF ebook] 
A Complete Collection of the Folk-Songs, Carols, and Rounds, Suggested by the Board of Education (1905); Edited and Arranged for the Use of Schools

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. This collection contains all the songs recommended for older children by the Board of Education in their Blue Book of Suggestions see Appendix VI., p. 131. The accompaniments are of the simplest character, and are merely intended to suggest sufficient harmony to make clear the tonality of each song, and in some cases to reinforce the characteristic rhythm, without distracting the attention of the singers from the melody itself. English children may at first experience some difficulty in grasping the peculiar scales and intervals of Keltic tunes; but what Scotch, Welsh, and Irish children can sing naturally, English children can acquire, and the trouble involved will be amply repaid by the widening of their musical horizon, and by the more deeply poetical influence which Keltic music will exert upon the young mind.