Well said again, Howard.

Jim,
You are misrepresenting again
When we're at a TSF meeting we all know at least roughly what we're referring to when we use the word 'folk' and this roughly corresponds to 54. But, Jim, believe it or not there is a big wide world out there which we folkies sometimes venture into and 99.9% of these people in it have never heard of 54 or the TSF. These funilly enough are the REAL FOLK and they have their own perceptions of what 'folk' is.

If you look closely at the Roud index alongside the mainly 54 stuff you will find all sorts of weird and wonderful stuff that has been found in the repertoires of traditional singers.

However, there is another reason why you perhaps shouldn't attend TSF meetings: Nowadays we frequently discuss the probable origins of the songs (which you touch upon) but that's a separate matter.