Folk rock is not just a British or Uko-Hiberno-American phenomenon, and its variations in other places point to some directions Anglophones haven't tried. The Italian singer Ginevra di Marco often works with a rock lineup and she's as political as anyone could want. Hungarian bands like Kerekes don't touch contemporary issues, and their material is pretty much straight trad, just scored differently. Probably the most publicly influential folk-rock group in the world is Kardes Turkuler from Turkey, and they use their choice of repertoire to make a political point, incorporating players and songs from ethnic minorities like Kurds and Armenians. (They had a 25th anniversary gig in London last week - wish I could have gone).

I am not sure if Runrig see themselves as folk rock, but they are certainly the voice of their community, not just rootless entertainers seeking patronage from anywhere.