When I was rediscovering folk music about 10 years ago, the celtic side of music (Irish/Scottish) was more glamourous and appealing but as the years have gone by, I have come to appreciate what I believe English traditional music, dance and song is. Maybe I'm wrong, but English trad seems to be relatively understated or even shy of its qualities - I love it.

A couple of years ago, I was chatting to a friend of mine who discovered the tradition by way of experimenting with morris. She and I both agreed that this was the first time that we actually felt a sense of being English as opposed to being stateless. With the Scots and Welsh having their stonger sense of identity reinforced by their local parliaments, English people like me have been struggling to find a sense of identity. I've still not made sense of it, but I'm further along the road.