The problem with any article about speed in Irish music, which makes all debate about it pretty much a dead end, is that nobody can really agree what 'too fast' is. Listen to recordings of Michael Coleman or James Morrison and they are playing pretty bloody quickly.

Mentioning Martin Hayes muddies the waters even more, because his recordings cross over into 'arts centre' territory: he doesn't so much play a jig at a relaxed pace as turn a jig into a slow air, in a way that he wouldn't at a session or a dance.

Plus there's lots of people who are cited as 'medium paced' players who are actually playing a lot faster than they sound (when you actually time them). It strikes me that one reason why people think of Kevin Burke as a 'slower' player is that he plays so cleanly.

At the end of the day, Irish music is dance music, and Irish dancing is fast (unless you're talking solo dancing).