to refer to Jim carrolls, earlier remarks about the west clare tradition,.Patrick Kelly[highly rated west clare fiddler]said the worst thing that happened to the west clare style of playing was the advent of Michael Colemans 78 rpm.
Nextly COMHALHTAS with its high marks for ornamentation,and unconcious preference for certain styles[Kerry polkas and donegal highlands tend to be looked down upon].
Martin Carthy is a fine guitarist and interpreter of narrative songs[ although I find his guitar breaks in the middle of a Ballad detract from the story of the song] however that does not mean I value his opinions any more than any other prominent revivalist.
I once heard M Carthy put forward a passionate argument for singing un accompanied.
A few years later he categorically refused to admit that accompaniments, can get in the way of the story of narrative ballads,and become a musical distraction.
so one year he was arguing black was blue, the next it was black was white.. so I find myself agreeing with Countess Richard.one of the motives is commercial[eg MICHAELCOLEMAN]2 COMHALTAS in an attempt to preserve the tradition, they have altered it. 3 POLITICAL MOTIVATION.The whole process of setting up a folk revival,which was pioneered by Maccoll and lloyd and other communist party members,[but it re defined the music][ as they did also to certain songs], personally I thank them for it, but nevertheless they were selective as the early song collectors were,but with different motivesand different criteria.