"I think the point I am trying to make is that Carhty and the Watersons were meaning to be confrontational to a world that saw Peter Paul and Mary as the voice of folk music in the 1960's."

Leaving aside the point about whether they were trying to be confrontational or just trying to find an authentic, less Americanized way of performing old English songs, are you suggesting that Peter, Paul and Mary were or should have been suitable role models for folksingers (however defined) from the 1960s to this day? My Mum bought Peter, Paul and Mary's version of "Blowing in the Wind". Was this proof of their mass appeal, or perhaps an indication that a watered-down, anodyne version of "folk" could appeal to the kind of person who wouldn't have bought a Dylan record in a million years?

And would your friends who thought Mike Waterson 'shit' have enjoyed to any greater degree the 'Shakespearean' rendition of "Tam Lin" for which you praised MacColl?

As Les in Chorlton points out, the tradition covers a huge breadth of ground, from epic ballads to knockabout humour. Dropping the uninitiated in at the deep end isn't always the best way to make converts.