Hi Cap'n,
Up to about ten - fifteen years ago there were a fair number of younger songwriters here creating in the folk style; Fintan Vallely, Tim Lyons and Sean Moan spring immediately to mind with their songs about moving statues and corrupt politicians. During one Willie Clancy Summer School a loggerhead turtle was washed up on the shore a couple of miles down the road and by mid-week there were four songs in circulation about where it drank, what instrument it played and who it was dating.
There were also local bards with no connection whatever with the folk scene making songs in the traditional style; usually somewhat sentimental pieces about their home-place (there were at least a dozen songs composed over the last say half century about beautiful Miltown Malbay!)
To my recollection, the only 'serious' subject for these modern composers was the political situation up North which produced some extremely powerful songs, the most memorable for me being the one on the Hunger Strikers, 'O'Hara, Hughes, McCreesh and Sands'.
Nowadays there appear to be only a tiny handful left, mainly making humourous songs, probably the best known being Con 'Fada' O'Driscoll from Cork.
All these we considered part of our collecting brief, though not the singer-songwriters which were composing in a different manner for a different audience.
Jim Carroll