I remember once telling stories in Gateshead - at the Garden Festival as I recall; a great day for sure & good money too. I did one story using my old First-Batch Faedog penny whistles circa 1984 - one of my favourite whistles and quite unlike later Faedogs. Amongst my audience was a boy of nine, watching me closely. Afterwards he asked about my whistle, and asked for a go; ordinarily I refuse (the standard line being: you don't my germs & I certainly don't want yours) but he was quite persitent, saying he'd never heard a whistle quite like it. So I let him have a blow.

Well, there's a word of warning right there, if you want to retain your dignity in Tyneside, never let a nine-year-old boy play your whistle. Needless to say he had us all dancing in the palm of his hand with his effortless handling of material I couldn't even have began to think about playing.

Then again I've met such kids in later life who said they no longer bothered; indeed, I was recently trying out an lovely old fiddle in a music shop when one of the heavy-metal guitarists cocked his ear to my efforts and, more impressed by the vintage instrument, asked if he could have a go. What he played was a flawless Rakes of Kildare. He said he used to do Irish music as a kid but got bored with it and didn't play any more - didn't even have a fiddle. Then he went back to trying out the electric guitars, doing Traditional Music closer to his heart I guess - and rightly so.

Each to their own.