Mike,
Re the Duncan Wiliamson story I have another possible explanation. As you know I visited E C Ball in 1974 and through him became acquainted with his wife Orna and her family the Reedy's and visited them quite often after E C died in 1978. On one occasion at least they told me that there had been a Scottish minister at a church in their region who was very interested in their music and had recorded some of it. He had returned to Scotland and unfortunately they didn't know how to contact him.

Re Ray Driscoll, after his death his wife Sheila told her friend that much of his life story as told by him was not quite accurate. Which even she only found out after his passing.

Aside from this matter Ray when he discovered the May Day festival in Padstow, attended every year and even dressed in the costume worn by the locals and joined in which apparently pissed them off he being an outsider.