I am always glad to hear a song sung live. I would never toss out singing as it is so rare. I would listen as long as I could stay.

No- I would not toss out a song for a simple excuse. It would have to not fit my use in many ways. When I teach music I insist that as wide a variety of music be heard as measured in the largest number of dimensions. I generally do the calulation based upon many variables. Tossing out a song just because of politics, or religion or point of view alone is simply absurd. Even if I was doing a lecture on one part of the tradition I would want to include the other side just to be complete. I would probably play songs 50 50 infact.

As far as my relation to the Orange order- I am not an orangeman- I am married to a catholic! I regularly attend catholic Mass on Easter,Christmas etc...and am often found inside catholic churches. These things would strictly prohibit membership. I even attend my wife's parish picnic and drink the pope's free beer- which is one of the benefits of catholicism.

I myself am methodist. (even though methodism has been as harsh to folksong as the pope has been to dancing at the cross roads.) My mother was Dutch Reformed my father Polish Catholic. As in the mixup song..... My father's high church mother never forgave him and relations with that side of the family were harmed and remain poor.

You will notice that I have created first class web pages for both the Celtic and Anglo sub traditions. I remain a protestant but that is my choice to make. I believe that catholicism is not correct. Why would one belong to one religion and think that any other was right? One would surely simply join the religion that one thought was right. I am very tolerant of catholics and live in a neighborhood of them. I send my child to catholic school. While I am tolerant I still have the right to believe strongly that they are all on the wrong track. I tolerate but do not have to like their catholic tendancies. One of my good catholic friends often trys to convince me that church membership is hereditary and I am genetically supposed to be catholic because my father was. I believe many things the church does is wrong but all churches are made up of humans and so there are failings on all sides.

My disagreement of catholicism is largely fundemental resting in the bread body argument and related concerns. Additionally I believe that we dont need a state religion anywhere and that the vatican needs to convert itself from a state into a religion or they aught to give methodist clergy embassies and diplomatic priviledge....

For a few years I put myself through immersion in Orange culture and politics. This is because I had plenty of opportunity to engage with irish republicans and not enough chance to encounter orange/unionist folk. As a lecturer in Irish Studies I needed to have balance.

When you are a student you have to be a bit more enthusiastic about things than when you have learned. I started out objectivly and enthusiastic and let the people I met prove themselves wrong. I still feel that I am more unionist in belief than republican. I can not however support the dark conservitism of orangeism as it gets in the way of their establishment of communication with other cultures and peoples. I have met and talked at length with Trimble. I was for a few days employed by the UUP. I believe that their course is correct but their methods largely in public relations and in support of their own culture are weak and ineffective. The reason we do not see more of a unionist presence at cultural events is not due to much more than their organizational inneptitude and conservatism two things I encouraged them to deal with and two things they failed to do.

Once I found that they were going no where with promotion of culture I jumpped ship as I had learned enough and do not have time for too much concern for politics. Generally I try to be truthful but I have my own values and generally stick to them.

As to the front lines of the divide on the internet- yes- they exist but both sides contribute and yes for a while I was on one of them, however, due to the failure of the radicals on line to support the peace process and Trimble I was forced to retire and have done my part to critize their radical departure from my point of view.

As I have come through my political evolution I have found the mellowing realization that culture, food music and drink are far more important and unifying than all the rest.

I do however celebrate the 12th of july because it is always better to celebrate than not. The lambeg drum in all of its beauty is heard for blocks around my house and the old songs are played. As an academic I must keep things even. I always celebrate March 17 with food and drink. I go to the parade and enjoy it though freely speaking my mind and suggesting that the hibernians give up the clubs and that the noraid folks pack it in and cease support for terror.

Generally if you find I have made an error it is probably a typo or mistake. You will have to come up with a very good argument to get me to back down from my beliefs but I will listen to any correction offered. I hope that while opinionated you will find me polite.

IMHO it is better that you deal with the issue and logic of the thrad rather than the personality and history of the writer.

So it seems that you wish to let us believe that I am not correct and that the political and religious aspect of a song is the most important one and that all else about a piece should be secondary and disregarded?

It is a pitty to see two posts which have substituted insensitive accusations for discussion in this thread- and both are from the Republican side! I guess the ramrods are still glistening in the sun after all. But is this really what your ramrod is glistening with?

Thanks for asking! Growing is good try it!

Conrad accusations