Ed , while I would agree that Bob Dylan and The Byrds were the first to electrify folk, no doubt inspired by the Beatles, the Beatles stated that Lonnie Donegan was their major influence and Lonnie Donegan was so taken with American blues that he changed his name to "Lonnie" in honour of bluesman Lonnie Johnson. Hence my reference to "link", when I probably should have clarified it as a full circle. I still stand by my statement that, UK folk music was still rather insular prior to Donegan, although through the past three or four of centuries, there has been a lot of one way importation by North Americans re shanties etal . Jazz and blues have been Black Americas gift to Europe, with their subsequent influences.
I do not mean to sound as if I am knocking Carthy, he is a stunning musician and I don't think I'm being prejudiced because of my Celtic roots and my love of that genre. However, to say that folk music wouldn't be what it is today because of him is a bit of a stretch for me. It's like saying opera wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Pavarotti.