Genie,

My feeling is, if someone is going to limit themselves to one or a few particular kind(s) of music they're going to miss out on an awful lot. Whether the music is authentically Irish, American Irish, or whatever, each form has its charm - to me anyway.

I have heard that a lot of American "bluegrass" music has its origin in Celtic music. I think a lot of the music had its origin in the old country, then got Americanized through the years as it's been handed down from generation to generation. I suspect a lot of us on this side of the pond had our interest piqued by the "Americanized" versions we heard our parents singing, and for me, at least, that sparked my interest in the music of the Celts. So it's been an evolution, of sorts, for me. One in its infancy but hopefully growing and thriving!

Annie