"So here we are in Ireland, in 2111. Where is the Irish music of 2011 in all that? Is there any? What 100-year old songs will be played then? What 100 year-old tunes will be played? How will they have got into the tradition? Or will only the stuff which is being performed now be the stuff that's being performed 100 years hence? If the latter is the case, then that whole music will be a permanently ageing museum piece, unchanging, mummified."

Some good questions, Will! I don't know the answer to them - but I do know that any answers probably doesn't involve 'occupying' the genre, throwing out all of the old stuff and replacing it with something like ephemeral, 'guitar-based music which rocks'.

I also think that the question, "is there a continuing tradition?" is not answerable at this present time; although I suspect the answer is either: "no" or "the form has altered and the consequences of the changes that it has undergone and/or is undergoing are not presently determinable". The same goes for the question, "what songs will be sung in 100 years time?"

If I'm honest though I don't really care about what will happen in 100 years time - the future will take care of itself, whatever I think. Human culture, like evolution and climate, is probably governed by the the laws of chaos and anything could happen.

Finally, I rather hope that some of Big Al's songs, and those of some of his contemporaries, do survive (talent deserves to be recognised by posterity) - but whether they will be classified as 'traditional' or not is another question.