Hi Jim

Many thanks for your interesting description of the state of folk music in Ireland.

It is good to hear that something positive is being done to preserve the wealth of music for others to enjoy and to follow in years to come.

As I have said here before I am interested in all kinds of folk music and I am just as happy to watch and listen to traditional music as to contemporary.

Like you I can relate to folk clubs as an organiser, resident, guest performer and audience participator.

In those roles I tried to introduce a good balance into what we did.

Though I don't think that my particular style really lends itself to traditional music I have on many occasions performed them ( having learned them first ).   

I have visited Ireland on a few occasions and have always been pleasantly surprised by the quantity and quality of ( mainly ) traditional music and it's honesty and spontanaity. Long may it be so.

Cheers

MikeL2