"The drawback if I understand you correctly, is that travellers would be the only authentic source left
From the singers we recorded, there was very little sign that they had learned much from the media - they weren't great radio listeners
They had large families and tended not to spend too much time indoors
They had an almost pure oral Tradition, the most convincing example being the 'forbidden' 'Maid and the Palmer' which had been pased on orally though John Reilly's Family
Mikeen described how strange groups of Travellers would meet up to swap their songs and many settled singers tokld us how they looked forward to learning their songs songs, particularly in North Clare

Their singing tradition wa reasonably intact in July in 1973 and they were still active in making songs
THey would sing for us, we'd go to the pub and at closing tim we'd go back to the sire and sit around their fire (often made of wooden pallets, and they'd sing, tell stories, talk and sometimes do deals
At te end of summer that year we decided to have a break and devise a plan of work
We didn't go back till 18 months late to find that had stopped completely; everybody had a portable television they had been ably to buy in Woolworth's

I do find your alienation approach to folksong interesting if not welcome Raggy and Im grateful for your claiming it to be "21st century" has convinced mt that the folk scene has well ant truly slithered down the tubes
To you really really welcome our youth being turned into screen staring zombies ??
Not my family I hope

A you somewhat insultingly keep repeating the same thing as if I hadn't responded to it a dozen times I intend to regard you as not being there, especially as you have yet tio respond to a single point I have made
That's just bad manners
Jim