"I know this might embarrass you Jim"
Not in the slightest Ake - we can agree and disagree any time

Where are these singers Dave and why are so many people complaining about not finding them
Soe time ago I was told if I wanted to hear sood singing all I had to deo was jump aon a train and go to Lewes

I have no doubt that there are some good singers and some good clubs - but nowhere near enough of them to make any impact on the everlasting problem of getting our music recognised and taken seriously
The newbies seem to be encouraged to "make a name for themselves" - that was never what it was about for us
Sure - we had our 'showcase' clubs - I was proud to be part of one of the best of them, but at the same time we had ourmore democratic clubs and probably most importantly, we had our workshops to bring on our own singing and help newcomers through their first tottering steps

I was archivist for a long-running workshop and have been bequeathed that archive as the worksop ran its course over fifteen years
I have been trying to pass digitised copies of our recordings on to any British Club who will use it for the same purpose we did - to encourage the singing of traditional songs
So far - not a nibble and it looks like our old singers will be giving their all for Irish listeners in the future
A bleedin' shame, as far as I'm concerned - for me and for the English scene

"does not mean they do not exist."
Your insistence is a litle like a story a friend related about discussing fairies with an old musician's wife
He asked her - "Do you believe in the fairies Cissie?"
"Of course I don't" came the reply, "but they're there all right"
Where is this invisible army of yours?
Jim