For me it was the tradition that came before the music - it was my love of history, legend, etc. that brought me into contact with folk music. That led on to writing songs myself, but many of these are based on the history, traditions and stories of the East Riding of Yorkshire where I live. I have even had people claim that some of them are traditional songs, though I have never ever tried to pass them off as such.

Here's an example of a song based on the memories of an old Wolds farmer who I knew many years ago - it sort of blurs the boundaries between traditional and contemporary:

jack and jill