Given the centuries of cross-fertilisation that others have referred to, can it be possible to pinpoint the origins of a piece of traditional music in the British Isles any more precisely than Jane Bird's 'fair guess'? You might as well take a cubic yard of brine out of the Irish Sea and try to deduce where all the water molecules started out.

American Folkie/anon guest's stuff about "virulent nationalist sentiments among many English traditional folk" is unhelpful to say the least. I presume you're using the word 'folk' to mean 'people' in this context, AF? I'd be interested, in that case, to read your definition of "English traditional folk", given that this whole thread has failed (unsurprisingly) even to establish any agreement about what we mean by 'English', never mind 'Celtic'.

Are you saying, AF, that it's only English nationalists who attach themselves to what they perceive as their own music to make a political or racist statement? No Scot or Irishman ever did that?

I'd also be fascinated to read some of these on-line folk music forums you refer to, dominated by English nationalists. Name some sites, AF, please.

Now there's a thought; any of you virulent English nationalists ever come across the BNP trying to infiltrate your Morris side?