Wait! It might not be perfect but somebody's got to start somewhere. It's not easy to
make a decent recording. I've been trying to do so for years and haven't to my satisfaction so far.

What is dreadful is that folk music doesn't get heard at all and is dismissed.

Celtic Woman may not be the music of the people but those ladies do know how to sing and the music is of good quality. By this I mean it is well-thought out, lovely, and although the content is not of a traditional folk expression, it has musical value.

You could hurl those thunderbolts at Joan Baez and Judy Collins as well and you would be
narrow in your view of what constitutes musical quality.

The word "Celtic" has become a recording company term as does the word "Hillbilly" or even "Rhythm and Blues". It purports to define a market for a certain type of music and what is wrong with that?

i think there exists a kind of folk-snobbery that is unfounded. There is all kinds of music in the world. Some of it has patches of sunshine mixed in with cloudy drivel.

I try to appreciate the sunny elements of every performance though there are obviously preferences that we all have.

I don't believe in censorship. Let it all be out there and accept or reject but to say something is dreadful is setting up an icon that has to be defended by reason and taste and not by mere opinion.

Celtic Woman may not be "Celtic" by some standards but I think it is a great opportunity to open the door to appreciation of Irish music to those not familiar with it. Then we can move on to Willie Clancy, Margaret Barry, Mary Black, Altan etc. to enrich us further.

Frank Hamilton