shoulder to shoulder is no good if the music suffers,.
music can be played without bodhrans,without any ill effect,.
if only thirty percent of bodhran players actually benefit the music[and thats my long painful experience],if their cramping the style of the session,and preventing melody players from playing properly,they[bodhran players] need to desist.
whatever kind of a session can one have with just bodhran players ,the mind boggles.