One last point I'd like to make in terms of MacColl and his music, into which I believe I may have a small amount of insight.

Like myself, he was a Scot(a celt) brought up in Salford and like myself from the beginning his home life will have been full of the life of Scotland. From the language used, the music listened to, the cultural references, the stories told and re-told, The Scottish Celtic upbringing is vastly different to the Anglo-Saxon upbringing of most of my friends(weather they be Of A/S stock or 2nd/3rd generation Irish or Scots or Caribbean). I'm sure this stuck with MacColl for the rest of his life, as it has with me.

This can be seen in the structure of some of his songs ' The Manchester Rambler ' for example, sounds indicative of Lancastrian folk music, Five Penny Piece could and I'm sure have sung this. Nevertheless, ' Dirty Old Town ' In it's structure and melody is a Celtic folk song. I was brought up with a hundred songs that have the same feel to them as this and I'm sure he must have been. Therefore, Although the song is about Salford, It is a Celtic folk song, written by a Celt. I Thank You.

It's late again and I'm rambling, but you get the idea!