Hi Hobbitwoman,
Here's an interesting page on the development of Céilí dancing in Ireland - http://www.standingstones.com/ceili.html

Apologies for my recent intemperate outburst about 'Celtic music'. I suppose in itself the term is innocuous, meaning the many varied types of folk music heard in the different Celtic countries/regions. However it has become a marketing tool for a kind of bland, new agey mood music. Not my cup of tea but tastes differ. If you put "Celtic Music" into the 'lyrics & knowledge' search box you will come across many previous threads giving different views on the matter and you will see that I am not alone in feeling a little cranky on the subject. I never hear trad musicians here in Ireland referring to their music as Celtic. However it is used very legitimately by some sites exploring the folk music of the Celtic regions. See -
http://www.ceolas.org/ref/Internet_Sources.html
http://www.standingstones.com/celtmusic.html
or on a less serious note
http://www.shenanigan.bc.ca/whatis.html

Now I must return to my pond before I dehydrate

Learaí na Láibe sa Loch leis na Lachain.

You don't have to understand but at least it alliterates!! :)