"I'm trying to stick to the thread heading & there's little doubt the British folk club boom was very valuable in Britain, but also a catalyst to the Irish traditional scene, which was seriously struggling at the time."
When the revival came on the scene Ireland still had a thriving tradition - musicians like Willie Clancy, Bobby Casey... and singers like Joe Heaney, Paddy Tunney.... and many many others
The Willie Clancy Summer School was built on living traditional singers and musicians and Tom Munnelly was turning in thousands of songs from living traditional singers - Tom was regarded as the most prolific collector in Europe in his lifetime
Ireland didn't need a revival - it still had the real thing so they created a situation where youngsters could learn from it
They had their 'Folk Boom period, which came and went, allowing the real lovers of tradition to get back to the real thing
The fact that they built a foundation on that 'real thing' has guaranteed a future for the Irish tradition, which is more than can be said for England
As has been amply demonstrated here, England has abandoned its tradition and replaced it with something with a short shelf life
What world do yuo occupy Jim
Jim Carroll