Ok here goes, I dont do the "best" either but here are my personal favorites. Irish: Frankie Gavin, Liz Carroll, Randall Bays (currently from Seattle) Tommy Peoples, Paddy Glackin Martin Hayes.

(Actually Randall ranks as one of my favorite fiddle players of any style. Id recommend anyone who hasnt heard him to do so. Hes mastered the East Clare style and is also a fine classical guitar player - accompanied Martin on his first album.) Wonderful person.

Scottish: Brian McNeill, Alasdair Fraser, Aly Bain (although Id say Shetland fiddling is significantly different from Scottish to warrant its own style, Laura Risk and Jennifer Wrigley.

Cape Breton: Jerry Holland (I like his style of playing, mainly because he goes to Ireland often and it rubs off, and he's just an all around great guy. Natalie McMaster

at the Festival of Fiddle tunes in Port Townsend we were asked which 3 fiddlers we'd pick for a desert island, I picked Natalie McMaster 3x. I asked this question of Liz Carroll and she thought long and hard about it and said that Buddy McMaster would definitely be on the list. Petr.