The 'Traveling People' story was first told to me as one of the old-usual anti MacColl yarns by one of the old usuals
I checked with both Ewan and Charles Parker, who confirmed it independently
Sheila Stewart had been given one of the songs to learn (there were four) and when the ruse was discovered she was edited out
As all are now dead, I suppose that people will believe what suits them, which has always been the case with MacColl anyway

I've always believed that had Ewan behaved a fraction as badly as his detractors did (and still do, thirty plus years after his death), he would have deserved all the shit that was thrown at him, and much, much more
As it is, this necrophobic hatred for someone whose contribution to traditional music is immeasurable has prevented a serious examination of the most detailed body of work on the art of traditional singing - all accessible for the using
These stories - the fake songs, the war record, the change of name - (even the box of garden slugs).... measure small to the research and experimentation instigated by Ewan and the Critics Group
Hopefully future enthusiasts will have a little more sense and fwer agendas
Happily, I'm finding far more enthusiasm for this body of work in Ireland than I ever did in the U.K.
That's also the case in finding a home for our somewhat large sound archive
A lesson to be learned - surely?
Time for people to lay down their axes and let the dead lie in peace (at least), even if they have no interest in the contribution they made
Jim