Brendy,
I never said I didn't think I have to ask - please don't put words in my mouth.
I have outlined situations where it was difficult, nigh impossible to ask, am I imagining them? If you believe so, please attend a session at the Willie Clancy School and count the recorders.
We tend not to record such events, they are not what we do.
"It stains the term 'collector', Jim. I have never met one with such a mercenary outlook."
All our collecting work has been one-to-one, go and listen to it sometime, it's in the British Library, the Irish Traditional Music Archive and The Irish Folklore Department, and soon will be available in West Clare when we manage to set up an archive there.
We have never made a penny out of our collected material. All royalties have been either paid to the singers or have been donated to ITMA for the furtherance of the music. We have never attempted to copyright what we have collected, but always attributed it to it's source. Please explain our 'mercenary outlook'.
Nor have we ever attempted to hang on to what we have collected, but have sought to make it as available as possible. We have always agreed with the people from whom we have recorded; - the songs, stories and music belong to everybody.
Mud-slinging never wins arguments, it only muddies them.
Jim Carroll