the british folk revival was anything but traditional. again read douglass harkness' book "fake song". they werre revivalists but they were twisting the songs to match their adgenda. the left did it to create a "volkish kulture" to spur their tevolution and the right did it to fan popular nationalism in the lower classes. in the english speaking world there were no traditional linege singers. it was all "fluff" and mostly music free.

on the other hand aside from the fake song tradition and his stealing scottish galeic culture, maccoll wrote a lot of very good songs. ni would much rather listen tom his songs than the fake music you usually hear from traditional uk folk club singers. there are exceptions but most of it is "fluff" with fake pedigtee and poor musicallity.

my objections to maccolls cultural appropriation of scotts gealis tradition is separate from my take on his songs. a lot of folkies in the sixtiers to the present fake a celtic connection. they are back handledly acknowledging that celts have an un broken tradition. however if you want to be part of it you have learn from the reall celtic musicians not come to civilize them--as maccolls tribe did. back then they easily exculded anyone who protsted their hypocracy, but now the internet makes it almost impossible to silence the truth.

maccoll was a great song writer who was part of the british imperial tradition of marginalizing and destroying gaelic people and culture and tyaking ehaty ever he liked for his own with no regard for ethics or honesty