What are we doing it for anyway? Not our own egos surely!

I can now see the attraction for some - of finding a session tolerant enough to accept the same individual singing 3 or 4 songs.

Perhaps a little bit of history will be helpful and show the way forward and also partly explain why Steve's Irish session is the way it is and why many are very loyal to it and its tolerant approach.

The situation some years back, was similar to the one that singers seem to find themselves in now - not enough venues or none at the right time. Steve and few others started the Irish Session to address this problem - with great success - but it was only later that this Irish session incorporated into the Festival proper.

Perhaps that is the way foward? Those who wish to have a place where they could drop-in and sing at any point over the 4 days - could find a pub (and garden) where the licensee (like the one now at the Old Road Tavern) would be prepared to provide this?

Perhaps the old home of the Irish session - now the Gladstone Arms - would be willing to play host to this over the weekend? The current licencees do seem to be keen to be part of the fesival now - and I notice that it is now a site for dancing.