OK thanks.

To be honest I read something that referred to Bayard, and wanted to understand Bayard to understand what I was reading about, if you see what I mean. To follow the thread of what was being argued.

When you say 'doesn't seem to have generated any tools', this seems to mean that it is tricky to what I call 'operationalise'. In other words to decide when songs are and are not in what he calls a 'family'. Am I making sense? And is this what you meant?

Actually in the bit I read I think there may have been some broad generalisations about Irish as opposed to English tunes, but I would have to check that. Perhaps I will come back to you to ask when I fell I've got to grips with it a bit more?

Thank you again for the fascinating information. It has left my head reeling!