I'm glad to read so much positive stuff about percussion. It's a lot of fun under the right circumstances, but it's the easiest instrument to be an asshole with. I found a weird perk to it though. On a visit to Chicago en route to the Milwaukee festival this year I was treated very well at sessions. A lot had to do with the fact that I was playing some fine sessions with some fine players whom all had a generally good sense of etiquette, but partly because they've put up with so many "bodhrán owners" (as opposed to players) that they treated me like a rare find. I'm a competent player and good for having played a relatively short time (roughly 5 years) but I was viewed as a lot better than I would classify myself.
Slán,
Rich