Some interesting thoughts above. I wonder how much the (lack of) popularity of English music when compared with Irish or "Celtic" music is to do with the issues expressed in other recent threads about English national identity (being hijacked by football thugs, BNP, etc.)

Even when I started out in the late 1960s, the folk clubs were full of people singing Irish songs, even rebel songs which at that time were mostly seen as tongue in cheek (although there were exceptions - and following the political events of the early 1970s many of the once ubiquitous Irish rebel songs all but disappeared from the English folk clubs). I 'got into' Irish dance music in those early (for me) days, for many of the reasons expressed by others - the tunes were (to my ears) interesting and fascinating. I wasn't aware then of the wealth of English material, simply because hardly anyone seemed to play it in folk clubs (at least, not the ones I went to).

Ashley Hutchings deserves praise for his efforts to raise the profile of English music in the 1970s, with Steeleye and other projects - the original "Morris On" album is still one of my favourites.

Not sure where I'm going with these thoughts, but I wonder whether the consciousness of English identity, which seems to be becoming more widespread amongst "normal" English people (as opposed to the elements mentioned above) will help English music to become "fashionable" as Irish/Celtic music has been for many years?

(Of course all the above could be b****x, I never was much good at discussing this sort of thing.)