"History is littered with the corpses of clubs that have tried to book MacColl or others who write and sing non-traditional songs using folk forms on the understanding that they only sing traditional songs. "

Why did they not ring up the artist and ask them? I can have no sympathy with this argument.

""re-instate the unique '54' meaning of the word 'folk'...." The word is not in need of reinstatement"

You missed my word 'unique.' For the word to have only one unique meaning again would be a reinstatement.

"Which leaves the lady who walks into a folk club with her cello and plays Dvorak - where exactly?"

In the club with a cello. It is down to the club regulars whether she plays - or comes to play again. The word 'Folk' now refers to a performance/participation ethos just as much as it does to a repertoire of old songs. Anything does go in some clubs. It's called democracy.

"it is utter nonsense to separate the academic (I'm really not sure what that means - I ask again, are enormous numbers of collections of songs that have been and continue to be published as 'folk' 'academic' works?) definition and its practical use for the purposes of attracting audiences, especially as the current use seems to carry no clue whatever as to a cohesive meaning."

Academic is a loose application here - let's assume a small 'a.' Yes, there is a problem - but only if we use the word Folk in both cases. If we use Traditional for the former, and for the latter it that is what is on offer, and Folk for the latter if we are 'selling' something more 'anything goes' there is much less of a problem.

"By insisting on the use of the term folk for the various musics you play I believe you have placed a huge question mark over the chances of future generations listning to folk music for pleasure, and I don't believe you have done your own music any great favours either."

Are you not listening Jim?

I am not insisting. I am assuming an almost universal usage by a wide population. I am speaking The Queens English. I have not placed a huge question mark over the chances of future generations listning to [TRADITIONAL] music for pleasure, though I might have brought a few new people to it (remember that I sang and played about 50% pure Trad in my career).

As for this, well I have to laugh:

"Nobody has addressed my right as a potential audience to arrive with an expectation of what I'm going to pay my pennies to hear"

Have you no telephones in Ireland Jim? I don't think you'll see a flier or a poster or an advert without a telephone number, email or website.

Just ASK them!

(And if you're buying a CD, just play it first)!

You are creating a problem and causing conflict where none is necessary.

Tom