My own thoughts:

1. For whatever reason, I particularly enjoy Irish dance music played on plectrum instruments, such as the tenor banjo.

2. In my experience, the gdae tuning is standard for players of Irish dance music. Gerry O'Connor is an exception.

3. My favorite player is Seamus Egan (of Solas.) Other favorites include Gerry O'Connor, Eamonn Coyne, Enda Scahill, Kevin Griffin, and Kieran Hanrahan.

Don