Sorry Richard - I got sidetracked
"Jim, Are you saying that you have tried to give away your recordings of Walter and that no-one wants to give them a home?
If so: when did you offer them? Who to? "
Not exactly true Richard - probably my fault
I and Terry Yarnell have been trying to find a home for our archive for years - that includes Walter's recordings and many more
I have offered them up here, to clubs or to individuals who wish to use them
We did deposit our collection with the then British Institute of Recorded Sound via Lucy Duran, who was then inspired to include British Folk song in her what was then Ethnomusicological Department - largely foreign material
When the Institute became The National Sound Archive ad moved to The British Library and they decided to launch their Folk Music online collection they chose not to include our collection which now, presumably, lies locked in a cupboard somewhere in Euston Road
I discussed with numerous people the housing of our collection at C# House but to no avail
On examination, I am somewhat relieved that the ofer was never taken up - I'm pretty sure Walter would never have enjoyed the company he would have had to keep !
Our collection is housed in places in Ireland, The Irish Traditional Music Archive and The Irish Folklore Department - unfortunately, they have no particular interest in English Field recordings - not their brief
Our entire collection and - hopefully, that of Singers Workshop will end up in The World Music Department at Limerick University where - hopefully - the remainder of our Clare Song and music Collection will go on line, along with our Traveller collection - probably not our English collection
Clare County Library has put most of our Clare Song recordings on line - (a magnificent job carried out by two appointed librarians over two years)
To date, we have found no home for our Archive and personal collection in Britain
Sorry for not replying sooner and sorry that this reply is as convoluted as has been our task of finding a home for our archives
"You can't give English folk songs away nowadays", seems to sum it all up
Jim