Good point from Shields. Good tunes, songs and dances aer rarely denigned the floor. Where did Lilibelero (sorry for the spelling) come from. Is the Wild Rover English, Irish or what. Tha Albion Band don't sound like Planxty but I bet they have more than the odd tune in common. Irish people have taken tunes & songs to most places and brought plenty back, I just find those Reels too hard to play.

Historically the English commercial classes did get about a bit but the nature of their relationship with other people didn't exactly lend itself to tune swopping, especially when the troops followed.

Morris does seem to be perculiarly English and worth enjoying and saving just for its own sweet sake. But can we have Morris on the right scale. Some performances are the Rock equivalent of Stadium gigs. And can we stop prending things about its origin for which their is no evidence.

We once went to the Celtic Festival at Lorient, Brittany. Alan Stivells Stadium performance with 10,000 pipers, choirs and god only knows what else was amazing, but the Fest Noz in the villages, even when put on for us holiday makers was something else. Often just the surprano bagpipe and the short pipe with a reed in it. strange tunes in strange times but stuff to make your hair stand on end. Moriis etc. can do that but it does very often. I think it should be smaller, darker and more scarry.