Quite simple. treat Walter Pardon..... as if they were normal human beings with valid opinions
Which is exactly what was done - not to the extent I would have wanted, as I have said elsewhere, but the definition was based on information received from such people.
That was the type of information we gathered and have made available through archiving and giving access to our collection.
The shortcomings of the early collectors in not fully seeking such information has made it necessary to update the prsent definition, but until that is done, we're stuck with the one we have - which, as I've said, worked for us for long enough.
"Jim Carrol wants to call us passive recptors"
Isn't that what we have become Al, or have agricultural labourers, miners (whoops, sorry, Maggie did away with them), soldiers, seamen et al continued to make songs that reflect their lives occupations and aspirations?
We saw what I believe to be the last thriving songmaking tradition in these islands die before our eyes when Travellers stopped making songs and went to Comet and brought home portable television sets - the death throes lasted 18 months, between 1973 and 1975.
There are signs within the Travelling communities (certainly in Ireland and Scotland) of a revival, but that's all it is.
Whether it becomes big enough to stimulate a return to what was happening in the early 70s rmains to be seen - it didn't happen in the settled communities.
Jim Carroll