Jim wrote
"Illiterate and extremely impoverished Traveller John Reilly gave us about ten big ballads, including the long-disappeared Maid and the Palmer
I know damne well, as you should, that Sheila Douglas, Timothy Neat - and the School of Scottish Studies as a whole are proud of the contribution made by Travelers - The Journal 'Scottish Studies' is full of articles on and examples of Traveller culture
Books like those by Betsy Whyte, Sheila Stewart, Willie McPhee, Duncan Williamson and those on Jeannie Robertson by Gower and Porter are filling shelves on their contribution to Scots culture.
 All the books that Jim refers to are on my shelves and I consult them frequently. All the people that he names are in my opinion, the heroic figures of our music. I would not detract a single name from his list but would want to add all their recordings which speak for themselves; and I would add Charlotte Higgins, Jane Turriff, Lizzie Higgins, Stanley Robertson.... I could go on but I would just like to add that I have met all the Scots listed by Jim and by myelf and feel that my life has been enriched by these meetings.