Ian H. What were you doing at McT's? - eating, singing or...er...washing dishes? I was there over the Easter weekend and from the May bank holiday weekend until early July, I think, and then late September. I was part of the resident duo - Celtic Twilight - with Bill Bracken. The Mathews Brothers did the mid-season residency.
I've also just remembered something that might be useful; There used to be a travelling theatre group called Micron (or Mikron), who toured around on the canals, performing at venues close to the canals. They did musical plays about canal life, written, I think, by themselves. I have an idea that they are still around. They made at least one album of their songs, sold at their performances. My mother saw them in the 70s at Melling Tithebarn (near the Leeds and Liverpool canal, near Liverpool). She bought one of their records, which was still around until my father died, but I think my nephew grabbed it.
John Kelly.