I could not agree more with Lighter. When you sing a folksong you are not Gillymor or Dave or even Mary Hamilton. You are The Transmission Of The Song. Your responsibility is to tell the story - nothing more, nothing less. Close your eyes, watch the story go past and report to us what is happening.

I see far too many folk performances given by budding Slanislavskies; never mind all those men who apparently are so insecure that they can't sing a song from the mouth of a woman without a five minute preamble explaining that when they sing 'I love a lad' that does not mean they are gay.

I don't care if Siule Aroon is sung by a man or a woman, because if they are singing it properly I won't notice what sex they are. The one sure sure way to take my attention away from the song, is to start copulating around with the words.