Thank you all so much for your reply. It has been very useful to me.
Lately I have been listening to performers such as Kate Rusby, indeed, and Susan McKeown, Julie Murphy (two sisters!) and Dick Gaughan. I love Dick Gaughans voice and especially his interpretation of The bonny banks o' Fordie. Is wonder if his version is an original one?
Today I rehearsed with my new group for the first time. They are very good musicians and used to improvise on Irish tunes. Thanks to your messages I felt free to go along with them and sometimes played with the melodies and lyrics so they became more personal to me.
I am very curious as how this all will develop in the future.
Abby, I am indeed interested in the ballads that do not have a tune yet. How do I get in touch with you?
By the way, are all of you living in the US? It seems to me all these messages have been written while I was fast asleep….