Much of the traditional Folk music/songs in the UK have come directly from the working classes, who used to band together to perform in barns or on ships etc usually with quarts of real ale. Unfortunately those days when people who worked together, lived and played together as a community are gone. Families, due to the so called 'progress' in society, are now much more isolated than 100 yrs ago and beyond, so they do not 'group' together in the same way or make up songs/tunes as they did in those days of yore.
Nowadays Folk music/singing/performing has become something which the middle/lower middle classes tend to keep going in an effort to uphold tradition. Many traditions...not just to do with music...have died out....so Let's keep Folk music alive! however we do it or whoever does it.
Best wishes, Mike