An Buachaill Caol Dubh:

Your opinion (re: collectors and the changing state of labour) works for me. I am also somewhat reminded of the 'history' of clan tartans in Scotland. There are thousands of 'folk' who take such things seriously indeed, and I suppose 200 or so years is enough to install a righteous tradition, possible whole cloth or not.

I enjoy a great many of the older, probably traditional, songs discussed here. The style suits me, they are all 'singable' by anyone with an average or better voice (which may be the most significant predictor of future folk). Whether someone calls them folk or not does not concern me too much. If calling them folk serves to make them more widely known, so much the better, and I appreciate the effort and care that goes into preserving anything old and valuable.