well that's wrong cos I know a guy who can tear your heart out with The Star of the county Down. namely Patrick Walker - resident at fagans in Sheffield.

it just seems to me that the great river of humanity seems to flow past the door of the folk cottage. and once inside that cottage - you have to face it, all things are not as they should be.

theres much disagreement about the nature and value of folk music, quite a lot of generational divide, and not every evening in every club is a winner. Its hard and probably futile to argue with someone who is convinced what he is doing is worthwhile. And yet you see the poor sod is puzzled as to why theres nobody at his club.

basically we are performers in the club setting, and if you can make it work and succeed with that audience - fair enough - whatever it is.

when you're a teacher - you learn a bitter lesson. you devise a wonderful lesson and perhaps your enthusiasm doesn't ignite the interest of the kids. you either go on like a World War One general ploughing effort and manpower into a lost cause, defending your trench - or you rethink. where the hell am i doing this wrong? such thoughts seem alien to some people within the folk world.