If you want to have a snare drum effect on a guitar another way is to weave a bit of silver foil in and out of teh strings up near the sound hole. It's very effective with fake flamenco.

In an Irish session, I think the role of the guitar is basically to be a kind of bodhran with strings. In that context it's essentially a percussion instrument. And like a bodhran, it shouldn't be flashy or obtrusive.