Jim,

'Poor writing' was never my target, but poor research remains so and on the day when you finally admit that your notes to 'Around the Hills of Clare' fall into that category and did a gross disservice to your recorded singers from Clare, then there'll be a whooping and a hollering in the streets of Lahinch!

You wrote 'Contrary to your friend's statement, you seem to be intent on pursuing our differences'. I presume the 'friend' you're referring to is Fred. Well, Fred is indeed a good friend, but his input to this thread has nothing to do with my own.

Labouring onwards, you use the phrase 'pursuing our differences'. I have no such 'differences' with you, Jim - they're entirely your own self-opinionated creation. Your messages to various newsgroups and lists have often revealed you as an ill-informed bigot who seems to know rather less than nothing about anything that's been happening regarding Ireland's traditional music over the last forty years. Then, whenever your ill-formed views are challenged you resort to one of either a couple of knee-jerk responses - 1) MacColl wouldn't have liked that, or 2) any involvement of 'non-traditional' instruments negates the debate. In terms of the latter, you've never defined your own assessment of what makes a 'traditional' instrument and the reason is, simply, that you're way out of your depth and haven't a clue!

I note that you've completely ignored my request for you to log on to the Mudcat site and give up your 'guest' identity. If you do so, then I'd be happy to start a thread regarding your inadequacies as a researcher, but then you won't do so, will you?