I love(ed) the Clancy Bro.s, but don't much listen to them anymore. Like Pete Seeger, they were "gateway" artists for me. By that, I mean that they were the artists that I listened to when I was transitioning from pop/rock to traditional music. These days, I'm much more likely to listen to local artists or "collected" songs from Lomax, et al. I recall from those days trying to listen to collected songs, and being unable to appreciate them because they weren't as polished as the commercial music I was used to. The Clancys, Pete & the Weavers presented the material in a form palatable to my mass-market conditioned ear. Later, I was able to appreciate the "hardcore" roots, which I hadn't before.

I have heard Rev (you there, Rev?) saying that he "blames" Pete Seeger for the dillution (I forget his exact formulation) of folk music, and I understand where he's comming from, but I have to disagree. Without Pete and similar artists, people like me would never have come to any kind of appreciation of the music.

So here's to the Clancys and Tommy Makem; God love 'em.