In my young day I split my time between Punk, Free Improv, Early Music & Folk. Mostly Free Improv & Folk. All the others were cool, friendly, co-operative, encouraging, but once you entered a Folk Club you found yourself in a very differnt world - hostile, righteous and quite depressingly MOR. It was the exceptions that kept me going - the love of Traditional Songs & Traditional Singers - the opportunity of hearing Ray Fisher sing Every Thursday Night (and almost talking her into the letting us back on the Bonny Birdy, but it never happened, alas!) - but there was a lot of sourness around which was only confirmed when I got word than one of Hapless Booked Guests at the Bridge in Newcastle wasn't offered a doss as part of the deal. The next day I was complaining to a friend (Raymond Greenoaken) out in his cosy drum in the far flung wilds of Slaggyford in the South Tyne Valley.

'You know,' quoth I. ' - They had a guest on at The Bridge last night and they didn't offer him anywhere to stay. Got so bad they suggested he stay with me - poor bastard had to come upstairs looking for me - a complete stranger - asking people who I was - even as asking me who I was. Are you Sean?'
'So you weren't in The Folk Club then?' quoth Raymond.
'No - we'd been out felling trees all day and were feeling jubilant so I didn't make it down - didn't even hear the guest - poor sod. I said he could stay but it meant a long bus journey and several miles of muddy fields at the other end. He seemed into it, but later on he came up and said he's been offered a doss closer to town. Nice bloke - I felt really sorry for him.'
'Who was it?'
'Someone called - Peter Bellamy?'

To this day I remember Raymond's expression, as he fell off his chair then headed for his Wall o' Choice Vinyl and proceeded to intitiate me into all things Bellamy. Epiphany does not begin to describe it.

So - friendly folk, eh?

Otherwise - age has little to do with it. I know hoards of Second Life Folkies who've only started singing as a retirement hobby & a bit of social crack; spending their kid's inheritance on camper vans and setting up gatherings and singing weekends all over the place. I heard one singer one time and assumed I was hearing some choice vintage. Turned out they'd only been singing two years. I doubt they have any aspirations as to ladders though, they just like a good old blow.