"How sadistic would it be to set the Newcastle Folk Degree students"
At least one tutor connected with the Newcastle Course was deeply involved in the early days of the revival, as a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and as a researcher and teacher of traditional song techniques.
Her daughter is also a very fine, well known singer.
I would imagine that any students that came under her influence are more than aware of the difference between folk song and what is passed off as folk song.
The fact that some people regard folk music as worth of University Courses is indication enough (for me anyway) that it is not a thing of the past and there is more to it.
Ireland has several such courses and has regular schools throughout the country, the most influential one being the week-long Willie Clancy Summer School, which started forty years ago by introducing young performers to learn from the older ones and, more generally important, listening to what they have to say.
Some of those teachers and performers, Seamus Ennis and Micho Russell in particular, are now recognised with singing and music events in their memory - that's the way to continue the tradition as far as I'm concerned - not introducing the music onto the scene that the revival was conceived to get away from in the first place.
"wouldn't get the wrong side of them. Jim, if i were you"
We worked wit Travellers for thirty years Al - long enough to know they are a threat to nobody, and certainly long enough to be aware that they take deep offence at being referred to as "diddys" and mumphers by settled people.
Jim Carroll