"Any sort of music that Jim Carroll approves of."
On the contrary Bryan - I have said from the very beginning that until a better one comes along, I am happy to accept the definition arrived at in 1954, flawed as it may be.
It was a summation of the work that had been carried out from the end of 19th century and was arrived at at the time when the B.B.C. were involved in their mopping-up campaign which shortly after led to the beginning of the English folk song revival.
One of the key song collections which played a major part in that revival, The Penguin Book of English Folk Song and its sister publications in Canada, Australia, America and elsewhere, were '54 based in their construction, and seminal works such as Folk Song in England used it as a guide - this was the first time I encountered it.
Since then, it has remained the central influence in all research - discussed, criticised, but never rejected and replaced by a workable alternative.
I was quite excited when Dave Harker published his Fakesong' - I thought we were going to get either a serious look at '54 in view to bringing it up to date or a workable replacement, instead we got a smug debunking of all that had gone before - little more than a hit-list of early collectors and researchers.
You say I haven't given a definition other than my own - you are either totally illiterate or are indulging in porkies.
You have my definition - if you can't understand it, get someone to explain it to you - it's simple enough - but don't tell me it's mine only.
As for the clubs - I and many like me, came into the clubs, liked what we heard and became inspired to become more involved in the music we recognised as folk music - it gave us the best of both worlds.
It also provided a platform for the few remaining source singers and musicians still around.
It democratised music and song for us and allowed us to be participants in our own culture, a healthy club scene gave folk song a future - I don't believe this to be any longer the case (we can't all nip down to Lewes when we feel like it as you once suggested.
I have pointed out on numerous occasions the benefits reaped here in Ireland by knowing the music you are involved in and articulating your understanding of it to the point of having it widely accepted and supported - still in the process of happening here, but at least it can be said without contradiction that it will survive for at least another two generations in its own right.
The list of songwriters I gave you are not down to subjectivity, by the way, they are those who have, consciously or unconsciously, drawn on traditional forms to make new songs - their compositions all show evidence of this fact.
"The trouble is, you are very selective in your reading."
You haven't the slightest idea what I read and draw from the internet you arrogant little pratt, how dare you make such an assumption.
Jim Carroll