yes Jim,The Blaxhall Ship, a village pub.In some east anglian pubs there would be an accordion behind the bar[if it wasnt there for use, why was it there]
Walter Pardon had to spend a whole winter,getting his songs up to recording standard.[in otherwords he was not practiced]
Sam Larner sang in a pub,so did the Coppers.
Bob Copper says he recalls the music that used to accompany toiling in the fields,shearing the sheep,or resting in the local Tap rooms[PUBS].He remembers the occassions on which they were sung TaTer,Beer night,hollering pot and Black ram,large and small festivals.
Please tell me what the Bothys were, if they were not places where Scottish farm workers slept, lived, told stories made their own entertainment and sang their traditional songs[They did it because that was how they made their entertainment]
Willie Scott sang at hunt functions[a social gathering],at many hunt functions,traditional songs were sung,they were sung for entertainment.
   
my point is that these singers/musicians sang/played for the enjoyment of it,not because they thought they had to to keep the songs alive,apart from Walter Pardon they did not see themselves as song carriers,they sang the songs because they enjoyed doing so. they sang during work and afterwork, they sang to relieve the drudgery of work.,and they sang to entertain each other,not because they thought they had to to keep them alive,once people[Walter Pardon] start doing that it shows the tradition is very weak.They sang for enjoyment after work and during work
now lets get back to the topic,I would also appreciate it if you refrained from personal attacks[a nasty dose of comhaltas competionitis].