Tim,
Pip just said most of what I would have replied - have a look back at the thread made up largely of people throwing their toys out of the pram because of the BBCs taking the piss - 4 weeks ago I think.
I would only add as somebody involved in research and collecting, try getting The Arts Council interested enough to stump up a grant for publishing something sometime. Here in Ireland Pat and I have recently been awarded a substantial grant in order to index, annotate, archive and prepare for publication our collection of Travellers recordings. Up to the present economic downturn, anybody applying for such a grant was pushing on an open door. We have two world-class traditional music archives here and a growing number of regional ones.
I sat in a session last night and listened to, among others, a flute player and her two teenage children (concertina and flute). I first met the mother about 20 years ago when she was learning the flute - she now has a class of around 30 youngsters and her children are taking classes of around 10 pupils each.
I can turn the television or radio on 7 nights a week and listen to good traditional music and song and hear it discussed seriously, sensibly and with respect. The music here will survive as a respected art for at least another two generations (barring George Bush becoming president again and invading Stoke Poges for the oil).
Ten-fifteen years ago Irish music was being sneered at as diddly-di music - it was largely the domain of the glossy professionals such as Riverdance and The Chieftains. The situation was turned round mainly by some of those involved taking it seriously, expecting our singers to be able to sing and our musicians to be able to play (while having 'fun' at the same time).
Far from indulging in pointless and endless discussion, as an ex-pat (no pun intended) who cut his teeth on British Traditional music, I would like to see the same thing happen in the UK - not beyond the realms of possibility.
Nick;
Singing in tune and rhythm and remembering the words are the first teetering steps and, as far as I'm concerned, the very least we can ask of our singers before they become public ambassadors for our traditional songs.
Jim Carroll