As well as it might be played, its very nature makes it intrusive in a session of good musicians and it turns an average session into muzak.

"The best bodhran "player" in the world could turn up to any decent Irish session and be completely unable to add anything at all to the tunes.

These are opinions, not facts. I've been playing in sessions for over 40 years and, while a bad player (or worse multiple bad players) can cause problems, a good bodhran player can add a lot to a session.

I'm primarily a tune player and session organiser by the way... not a bodhran player.