I just want to add that Noel Murphy is still a very fine singer living near The Lizard. I saw him about 4 years ago and Derek Brimstone saw him last year. Ive got his number somewhere if you would like to book him - pm me. I got in contact when he wrote a series of enchanting articles about his childhood for the Irish Post.

he made a very creditable album with some fine musicians about five years ago, including the late and marvellously talented Aiden Ford.

Yes I suppose it was difficult in the 70's for Irish singers who lived in England - - living amongst the tide of tasteless Irish jokes the English were sheltering behind to conceal their fear of their closest neighbour. I know of at least one Irish singer who simply stopped working as an entertainer and did something else later to re-emerge.

Far more germane to to the situation was probably the sectarianism in the folk clubs around that time. Traddy versus everybody else. Immense pressure on performers to toe the party line - play in DADGAD tuned guitars, ornament simple tunes with 'grace' notes, finger in the ear, etc. The other success story of the era was of course folk comedians.

Noel was a straightforward minstrel with no po-faced pretensions and no hard edged comedy routine. i saw him round about that time doing the Boggery club in Solihull. The audience just had no concept of shutting the f--k up when he was doing something like Freeborn Man, or Rocky Road to Dublin. My god on his night though, Noel Murphy was bloody terrific and I loved his performances.

Yeh maybe he should have de-camped back to Ireland, but there were lots of great players who got it wrong there - I remember Johnny MacEvoy saying he'd got it wrong, round about the same time. And he was another jewel.

anyway peace and happiness to the lot of you!