Jim: Prove it - show me where British or Irish folk music was ever and accompanied form

I play both British and Irish music with accompaniment, and have for decades. So, you see, it is an accompanied form, and has been for decades. If you're trying to say that there wasn't any accompaniment prior to some magical cut-off date, fine. Tell us your date. I'll tell you mine. Where will we be then? You seem to be confusing the concepts of traditional music and historical music.

BTW, I've never been part of a revival. I'm not trying to revive anything. I just play the music I love in the way in which I feel called to play it. While I find the historical aspects of music interesting, it is just academic scholarship. It doesn't really have anything to do with the melodies, and certainly doesn't tell us how the music "should" be played. I think the music itself is way more important than knowing lots of historical things about it. I know it's probably not true, Jim, but the things you say make it sound like the scholarship is more important to you than the melodies.

Jim: I am suggesting that if folk song is to survive it has to be performed to a reasonable standard and has to be identifiable as folk song

Sorry, Jim, but every trad song ever recorded by Steeleye Span is clearly identifiable as a folk song, and all were performed to a high standard.