The UK has historically had an uneasy relationship with its own indigenous folk cultures. The traditional music that helped express and enrich the lives of working people in rural areas has often been ridiculed and may have been lost completely but for the heroic work of collectors in the 19th and 20th Century. It finally blossomed in the 1960s when the brief skiffle boom spawned interest in folk song and, fuelled by the era's protest song movement, a large network of folk clubs were established. This in turn led to many fusions from folk rock bands to rural dance music and the music has continued to grow with a recent upsurge of young talent playing modern folk music.

Colin Irwin, Music Journalist (Traditional and Folk Music Specialist)