I never met Harry Cox nor Walter Pardon, but am very grateful for the research and recorded material made available by Jim C in particular.

If he's right about younger folks in Ireland listening to the source musicians & singers rather then the perfectly valid 'revival' versions by such as De Dannan and the Dubliners, then that is very healthy indeed!

I never watch TV nor listen to FOLK programmes, but have been recently been very impressed by one Lisa O'Neill, heard on 'Front Row' on BBC radio and also an amazingly atmospheric storyteller called Clare Muireann Murphy on Michael Rosen's 'Word of Mouth'. thMaybe they are examples of this trend, because they really were quite striking to an old traditionalist (HOWEVER DEFINED!) like me-they've obviously been listening!
I've never forgotten early encounters with such as Willie Scott, Paddy Tunney, Jack Elliott and Bobby Casey and for me they were a crucial influence, so let's hope young folk absorb a bit of it, as well as the social context?