"Whatever direction music has taken in your country or in England, your work stands on it's own."
Sorry guest - thanks for your kind words, but they don't come anywhere near resolving the problems of today's revival as I see them.
Our motivation for becoming involved in collecting was the inspiration obtained from our long experience with the clubs. Some of the most pleasurable times were got from our accompanying some of our singer friends to the clubs that were prepared to book them.
The warning bells sounded when, while arrangeing a few small tours for some of them we got replies like "Walter Pardon - what does he do?"; followed by, "Sorry, we only book folksingers".
I'm afraid in today's club scene, the Walters and Tom Lenihans and Mikeen McCarthy's would find a hearing in very few clubs, thanks to many of "the changes that others have brought."
I have never claimed that this is the case everywhere, but from the arguments on this forum, enough to be of serious concern.
Jim Carroll