As you've gathered by now, Paul, there has been plenty of folk music in England over the years.

There's a lot of pastoral song, industrial song, songs about the many wars England's been in, a lot of sea songs, songs of social and political nature, many songs about Napoleon who made quite a stir all over Europe. There are also love songs, bawdy songs, humorous songs, sporting songs and plenty of other kinds.

In every culture, some songs started out in another country and that's what George alluded to earlier. Working people, nomadic people, soldiers and sailors traveled from place to place both collecting and disseminating songs. A lot of the people who sold the old broadside ballads in England were Irish, for example, so you find "The Boys of Kilkenny" being sung in southern England. Music Hall (pre-vaudeville) had some influence as well.

There can be great differences in music in different regions.

All the best,
Dan Milner