McGrath,

interesting point! Actually, I have quite a collection of (antique) Dutch songbooks, and I sing some of them every now and then. But I think Dutch folkmusic is on the brink of extinction. I think the last active followers of the genre died out when the hippies became doctors and lawyers... I still remember a very painful experience: I was in a pub somewhere in Ireland, together with a friend of mine. I had sung a few Irish and Scottish songs, and then all of a sudden people asked my friend if he could sing something... When he answered that he didn't know any Irish or Scottish songs, a nice lady answered that she would really like to hear a Dutch folksong. And he couldn't think of one! With this example I only want to demonstrate that Dutch folk really isn't alive anymore.

T.

P.S.: I've had a plan for a couple of years now to somehow form a band which focuses on old Dutch songs, but I really didn't have the time (nor the courage) to really go for it. The plan is still there, though, and you'd be happy to know that I'm only 26 (so, technically, I'll have another 50 years).