Thank you, Malcom, and thank you, Guest and Learia na Laibe... I'm getting the picture, I think... I will check out all the sites you listed, Learai; I really have to get to this earlier in the evening!

At any rate, I'm getting the idea that whatever is involved in ceili (or ceilidh), whether it be dancing, card-playing, story-telling or music, a good time is generally had by all! I like the idea of people gathering in neighborhood homes to socialize - it's kind of hard to imagine that happening these days when people so often don't even know their next-door neighbors' names. And as for the term Celtic... well, in my mind it's perhaps more "traditional" music as opposed to the "new agey" stuff - while I like some of the latter I prefer the former - but I'm still learning!

And thanks to all for your willingness to share your knowledge and understanding! :o)

Annie