My thanks to everyone for the well wishes and offers to house all or part of our database of music and lyrics. They are much appreciated though I am going to decline all offers through various reasons, but thanks all the same. I know that begs some kind of explanation on my part and some or all of the reasons I am about to try and explain here may sound either selfish, silly or downright stupid, but at the end of the day they are my views and the site was mine so what the heck.

The first reason for the site closing down I think was explained by Mary in that we are both either going to or have moved locale. At some point in time we will hopefully be both in at least the same time zone. if not closer. Then we may ressurect the site though it will be a lot different... why?.. cos...

One of the other reasons I shut it down was the "public misconcept" re what the site was all about and the whole confussion regarding what people call "Irish" and for that matter "Folk" music. We are now in the 21st century and I think it's time we re-evaulated how we look at music especially that which is deemed to be "folk".. i.e. not the hip-hop-crap or commercially generated pop-slop that the record companies fill the charts with today. "Folk" music has had that label for what now?.. 50/70 years.. and no one as yet has come up with the definitive explanation of what it is. Music is very similiar to antiques.. (sorry.. brief pause here.. for anyone reading this who doesn't know me.. my first love is history, followed closely by music..).. anyone watching the Antiques Roadshow will be aware that early and even mid 20th century items are now collectable even if not antiques.. likewise in music I think we need to move on and encompass material the so called purists may scoff at.

I also hate the labelling and the seemingly manic desire to pigeon hole music. Our site thrived on the misconception that the majority of the music and songs was "Irish". The fact that about only 15% of it could genuinely be attributed to the Emerald Isle makes it all a joke.. Now don't get me wrong.. I think everyone who appreciates the "old music" has a great debt to pay to those Irish groups such as the Dubliners, Stockton's Wing, Bothy Band etc etc for keeping the music alive. what we need to do now is take it to a new dimension.. Instead of being English, Irish or whatever, we should be looking at music on a global level. Stephen Foster's songs have just as much right to be included in any "history of folk music" along with any African or Asian or South American song writer I've yet to come across, let alone so called "contemporary" writers like Dylan, McTell, Donovan etc...

The mudcat is great in that discussions re all sorts of music take place and yet another reason I am "gled" at closing down our site is that hopefully I will be able to take a more active part here.. I can't remember the last time I added constructively to a thread.. must be 2 or 3 years...

In the meantime, none of our material has been lost.. it's all saved to disk, though when time, circumstance and I've decided what to do with it... it will reappear, though in a totally different format. And when it does I expect all those 500 people a week who visited it to play a more active roll, so be warned..LOL



But in the short time I have my life and Mary's to sort out


Mick