I am a huge fan (coming up to 13 stone) of The Pogues. The influence of the Dubliners on them is clear as daylight. Therefore, because of that, I have tried to get into them. Get to the roots, as it were. I've played their Transatlantic anthology CD. I can't stand them. Their relentless chirpiness makes my want to take the disc out my player and hurl it out of the window. Their Oirishness makes them look like a bunch of plastic Paddies. Their excessive nationalism -forever harping on the beauty of their country, constant evoking of folk memories, immodest rattling on about the freindliness of their people-puts them beyond the pale of all decent folk fans.

Am I being unfair?