Thanks Keith. I decided that actually both of these looked worth
having - not just for the harp articles but more for the context -
its all too easy to get stuck in harp world and forget what else was
going on that shaped our own tradition. I have the Oral Tradition
book in stock now - it'll be included in the February Emporium update
- but have not yet recieved copies of the 17th century volume.

Colm's old paper on Irish harpers in Scotland is vital anyway so
that's great that it is available again. Rory Dall and Conellan I
presume?

If anyone else here doesn't get my monthly Emporium updates and wants
to by the way, let me know

Simon

> The volume in question did have a remarkedly long gestation period
> between submission of content and final publication,although whether
> long enough for the lanquage to become obscure I dont know, examples
> would be needed before any comments would be relevant. However
> another volume from a parallel series has just been released by the
> Peter Lang Publishing Group based in Switzerland.Entitled 'Defining
> Strains;- The Musical Life of Scots in the Seventeeth Century' as
> volume 2 of the series Studies in the History and Culture of Scotland.
> (a bit like buses, you wait for ever and two come along at once),
>
> It contains two papers by Colm O Baoill, 'Highland Harpers and their
> Patrons' and 'Two Irish Harpers in Scotland' the latter being an
> updated version of two specific harpers from his earlier paper on
> Irish Harpers in Scotland.
>
> Since this is the same price as the Compendium but you get two harp
> related papers instead of one it might have a better selling point as
> far as those who can only afford to buy one or other are concerned.
>
> Best wishes
>
> Keith