Wow John - you said a mouthful! Personally, I like to quote an old saying (which I may have just made up): "Folk music is not a pickle. It doesn't need to be preserved". The songs and tunes stand on their own and will be passed on, regardless of anyone's interpretation of them. (This was, of course, not the case before collecting and recording began.) It makes no sense to decree that Irish dance tunes should be played the way they were in 1850, or 1890, or 1920 (all of which I've heard decreed), or that Irish songs should be played with purely acoustic instruments.

IMO, Donal Lunny is a genius with a golden ear, who has done more to bring trad Irish music to younger generations than Paddy Moloney ;-) His work with Moving Hearts and Coolfin is brilliant (and so is Coolfin's fiddler, the goddess Nollaig Casey!), and I believe that he and Capercaillie, along with some others, are a beacon to the future of Celtic music.

I have enjoyed reading everyone's comments; good discussion!

Thanks,
Michael