Beachcomber: To my knowledge, Ciarán MacMathúna is alive and kicking - or did I miss something? I know that, sadly, he has quit his Sunday morning "Mo Cheol Thú".
I also remember Liam Clancy introducing Seosam Ó hÉanaigh to a Dublin audience in the now disappeared Grafton Cinema. I doubt that many in the audience would have paid to go to see him, but because Liam Clancy introduced him, they sat and listened to his Anach Cuan and you could have heard the proverbial pin drop.
At this stage, I find their stuff a bit corny and pretentious, but in its day, I loved it. They certainly helped make Irish music more accepted in Ireland in the 60s.