"I learned it from [Angus Alick MacAulay]," the Raider's son, says [Julie Fowlis]. "I learned that song in the house, on the croft that [Alick's father] fought for. It's very real, very close to home, and to people in the local area, it's very meaningful; they're proud that I can take that [around the world]."

"There used to be this image of the folk musician," says Fowlis - "a big beard, carrying a banjo, wearing a thick jumper." But now, "In Scotland, there's an incredible wealth of young musicians coming through at a high level of musicianship. People talk about a new folk revival, but we were always doing this - it's just nobody noticed before."

That's certainly changing - and it's not just Julie Fowlis they're noticing. Just over Hadrian's Wall, English folk group Rachel Unthank & the Winterset has launched a subtle assault on the pop world, rounding up a Mercury Prize nomination and sold-out London gigs with their gothic music-hall take on traditional Northeastern English folk songs. And this new folk/pop bridge is a two-way street: U.K. traditionalists such as Eliza Carthy and even the literally ancient Copper Family have begun "experimenting" with traditional song in more contemporary settings.

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