There seems to me, a bit of a tendency among some English folkies (and I am not pointing at you Howard) to dissmuss Irish music and say that the Irish pushed their music unfairly and that all things had been equal a lot of people would instead be playing/singing Englush, Scottish and what have you, material.

I don't think it's quite that simple. Thinking back to the seventies/early eighties, where I was at least, there was a lot on offer: the bands I mentioned above and other Scottish bands seemed on tour all the time. English bands too, I remember seeing the Etchingham Steam band at the time the Thompsons, various iterations of the Albion, Fairport offshoots and a wide variety of other English performers appearing alongside Irish bands at small venues, concerts and festivals. So I don't think it was for want of exposure that some types of music were to become more popular and widespread than others. Make of that what you will.

I do think the success of Irish bands lead to musicians in various aces to examine more local music. Within Ireland it became alright to examine local, Kerry, Donegal, Oriel, repertoires. And in other countries you had all sorts of groups exploring local music, the Netherlands and Flanders had Rum, Chimera, Wolverley, Perelaar and others, during the seventies I listened a lot to various French groups, Pierre de Grenoble,    Malicorne, La Bamboche, Gentian as well as some of the Breton music riding the wave Alan Stivell stirred up. So, really, it's not like this stuff wasn't there to be heard and taken up.