Hi,

and here I was expecting a nice sedate little thread......

Shambles I don't think there is much of a difference instrumental wise between tunes.. a good tune is a good tune.. it's when you put words to it that you get problems.

I think it all comes down to a matter of respect for where you are playing and who you are playing to. I would not dream of going into a Protestant pub and singing a strongly Republican song, or a Catholic pub and singing a Protestant song. I have been subjected to both on occasion... and those hard line songs on both "sides" make me feel very uncomfortable.

I was at a folk festival last week where amongst the various venues for entertainment was a pretty country church... a man sang "The Burning Times" (Isis, Astarte, Diana etc.....) in the church. There were plenty of other venues and occasions where he could have sung this.. but he chose the church. In my opinion I think it was an inappropriate choice..... many others were offended by it. This is what I mean.. you need to have respect for the feelings of the people you are performing for. You'll never please everybody.. but you can try...

slainte

alison