The bodhran has really only started to be used noticeably in Irish dance music in the last fifty-odd years, so styles are still developing. They have become vastly more sophisticated in my lifetime than they ever were before, but are mostly quite new; there isn't a long and prescriptive tradition (whatever some people tell you). I should just treat it as a (potentially) versatile frame-drum and take it from there. Recently developed techniques will give you a lot more options, though, so you should certainly try to learn them. They aren't compulsory, though.