I.m struck by the great difference between what happens in the UK and what happens here in Ireland.
As far as I can see the BBC does virtually nothing for folk music apart from holding these meaningless award ceremonies - no regular programmes, no serious discussion, no half-decent coverage of folk events - sod-all (unless you count the regular 'Rambling Sid-type piss-take on programmes like 'Have I Got News For You').
Here, the Irish-language channel TG4 gives us a wall-to-wall feast of well presented, stacks of air-time, light and serious, and above all, totally respectful to the point of being proud of.... Irish traditional music (as well as the ersatz stuff).
A couple of weeks ago they held their annual award ceremony, where two of the recipients were the great songwriter Con 'Fada' O'Drisceol and our own Reg Hall.
The right to hold award ceremonies should be an honour 'awarded' to the channel which does the best job in presenting folk music on a permanent basis - not the other way round.
From where I'm standing, you're like a bunch of poodles waiting for an extremely tight-arsed owner to throw you a biscuit.
Why are you dining in the same restaurant as these pricks - let alone allowing them to eat at your table - F*** the ponces.
Jim Carroll