I suppose the habitual folk club format is not particularly conducive to ballad singing. If, as Valmai says, there's a guest performer and the MC is trying to fit in as many floor singers as possible, someone who chooses a long ballad could be seen as hogging too much precious time. It's not necessarily to do with attention spans, it's more to do with a shortage of available time.

Even on a club singaround night, some people have no sense of what's fair or appropriate. Even though the MC says, "Let's see, I think we can just about fit everyone in for one more quick song in the second half," there are people who will choose long songs with elaborate instrumental interludes, or spend time telling jokes, or launch into a long ballad jsut before closing time.

This does ballads a disservice, because even people who like them may become edgy and irritated. Perhaps the answer is (as in Lewes) to have occasional sessions dedicated to ballads. Or in a club where two-song spots are normal, people could be encouraged to do just the one long song as an alternative.

Marje