You saw the full page article by Tim Cummings in Tuesday's Guardian G2 supplement didn't you? That was first rate.

Remember though, a very short time ago this wasn't a live issue. Virtually impossible to get anyone, even in folk clubs or sessions, to believe there was anything to get excited about. People have an amazing ability to shrug off problems that don't immediuately affectvthem - a session or a folk ckub elsewhere had been shut down? They must have done something wrong, we habven't ever had any trouble.

The Shambles here constantly starting up threads and keeping them going with very few other joining in, and really getting up some peoples noses.

And now here we are, largely thanks to a combination of Kim Howells, the Shambles and Hamish Birchall, with editorials in the Telegraph and the Times, full page articles in the Telegraph and the Guardian, items on news maqazine programmes.

None of that means being satisfied - it's pathetic how unimaginative papers have been about picking up this whole issue. But we should feel encouraged rather than discouraged.

Now about those chained bodhran players. That's got possibilities. I'm sure a lot of us could nominate a few...