BTW, I would disagree that the obsession here is only with Scottish and Irish traditions. I believe the obsession here is with English, Scottish and Irish traditions.

As I said in an earlier post, the designation of "folk" music in the US is widely believed to refer to the music traditions of Britain and Ireland. Then there is everyone else's folk music. You see that prejudice rear it's ugly head every now and then when someone from a non-British or Irish culture comes along and says something about the cultural assumption that folk=British or folk=Irish.

Again, has to do with the dominant culture default. It is no different than what is happening with the stupidly titled World Music Traditions in Britain with the likes of Peter Gabriel, et al. There is British and Irish music, which is folk music (to be avoided at all costs because it isn't hip), and then everyone else's music, which is world music. Which of course reflects a tremendous arrogance on the part of the British inventors who coined the term and have shoved it down the music industry's throat, but there you have it.