Unfortunately Jim, the number of pubs in Ireland IS decreasing by the year for a variety of reasons ,and none of them to do with Irish music :-) If you had mentioned that you'd lived in Leitrim then I would have understood straight away why you believe that "Country" is "Standard" in Ireland. I can tell you that, in the counties farther south, you will be able to access traditional music almost anywhere, be it at sessions, festivals, "Summer Schools" or merely purchasing recordings. Of course, watching RTE channels or TV 3, one would never imagine it to be so.
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