YES YES YES I agree with my other half -Sam pirt. I too was at the Young trad. weekend and it blew my mind completely. And this is just from britain who can afford to get to the competition and know about the competition. It reinforced the idea that whatever you think you are best at, there is ALWAYS someone younger doing it better, maybe your niche is fingerpicking guitar, bass on the accordian, singing, or whatever but there were people this weekend who I'd never heard of, who would have wiped the floor with many concerts from the major UK festivals. The fact that you son't know if the tradition is safe is no indication that if you haven't seenit, it doesn't exist.
I thought I knew all the young folk performers in the uk, going to so many events and competitions, festivals, young peoples workshops, but I had never met these amazing musicians, so what chance has anyone else got? The scottish folk scene seems somewhat cut off from ours, and I am simply talking about large scale artist crossover. Maybe these people are famous in scotland?
I certainly don't know, But I KNOW the tradition is safe.
Ian