Stanron
A little more than that unless you disregard the likelihood of people making songs to record everyday events, experiences, emotions and aspirations
I can think of no other group of 'old songs and old tunes'
Songs created following the Irish famine and the period up to Irish independence represent a large body, if not the majority of the Irish folk song repertoire - they bristle with social history and aspirations
The tunes are incidental

"So was Schoenberg's "Gurrelieder", or Stravinsky's "Les Noces","
My point exactly - not imressed with Schoenberg particularly, but I wouldn't write off his or anybody's cmpositions as being insignificat to the human condition as you have "Seeds of Love"
In factJohn England's rendition is a latecomer on the scene; part of a line of versions stacked full of folk imagery - try 'THe Gairdener Child', the song at its best

I just want you to respond to the description I have given and, if you have no quibble with it, let me know how that fits in with what you expect from a folk club - I think you talked about "somewhere between MacColl and Buddy Holly
Not sure what you mean, especially as neither wrote folk songs and the latter was a million miles from doing so
Jim