I don't see any comparison between the two myself except in the minds of people who want to bash RUS as an erzatz 'bible' of Folk. Sacred Harp is such a different thing altogether.

This does, however, remind me a little bit of the arguments I have gotten from Pan-Celts who yell at me that 'Clannad does it the right way' about a particular song they assume is Irish when in fact, the song in question is sometimes American such as 'Two Sisters." For this subset of listener or singer, there are five or six 'sacred' groups or musicans whose renditions of an acknowledged group of songs have become canonised (in the actual sense of the word).

I don't think it's any given book or body of work that's the problem - just the dogmatic way that some folks cling to them.

I personally object to the term 'Celtic' since it doesn't mean what people think it does and derives from a derogatory Greek word (Keltoi) used to describe a wide variety of peoples. It's adoption in the latter half of the 20th centuray as a generic term for Gaelic peoples annoys me. I could probably go off on the word they way people go off on RUS! I'll stop now before I'm even tempted.

Time to go look at Meg The Wonder-Pup's photos and feel the claming effect of her sweet widdle gaze! WOOF!

Meg should run for Office.