"I know if I put on a record of Mary Delaney singing 'Buried In Kilkenny', or Sheila Stewart's 'Tifties Annie', the hairs on the back of my neck would still bristle"

"a record"?? What's that?

Joking aside, long may you continue to be moved by the music you hold dear. It is (or should be) of utmost importance in anybody's life.

Personally, I don't much care whether anything I write will prove to be a "folk song", under anybody's definition. It's a matter which will be determined decades after my death. Concentrate on making the very best of your talents in the here and now, and let posterity take care of itself; that's the way I see it.

(BTW, I've very much enjoyed reading through the developments on this thread over the last couple of days, particularly Nigel's apparent conversion to sanity. Many thanks to everyone for making it such good fun.)