I was with a group down at a fair in Northern Kansas once; they wanted me to keep beat on a Bodran for them, since I had some experience and they weren’t too keen on my whistling.
But with no pounder, I had nothing but my hands…
…which I was loath to do…
…so I beat on the thing with my penny whistle. The head-man was enjoying everything until he saw what I was doing. He charged me like a hotfooted bull and comandeered both bodran and whistle.
Oh well. I found it funny, anyway.
… yes, there is a special place reserved in hell for the likes of you. 
Why not use your hand? It’s an accepted technique. I sometimes use my right hand, thumb and little finger outstretched.
You would risk scratching the skin using a penny whistle.
What’s the only proper way to play a bodhrán?
With an open penknife.
(This, the primordial bodhrán joke, is the responsibility of Seamus
Ennis)
Okay, I know I am not a lagger when it come to vilifying bodhráns and the people who play them, but I have to say, Blackout, that using a whistle as a tipper is an offence, and I don’t mean to the whistle, although we could make jokes to that effect. Keep in mind that someone’s property is their property, not yours to treat lightly whatever it is, and a whistle doesn’t have softly rounded surfaces on its ends. The possibility of damage to the drum head is real, however slight. The idea alone makes the owner’s unhappiness with your use of a whistle justified, IMO. Some people dole out a lot of money for their designer-made bodhráns.
Just something to consider for the future.
You do get points for the proper use and spelling of the word “loath”, though, Blackout. 
And it gets trotted out in the majority of bodhran threads in existence. It wasn’t a good gag, even when Ennis made it. 
There are no bodhran gags. Bad bodhran “playing” is so rife that attempts at humour are misplaced. Jim, Colm, Johnny and John-Joe are bodhran players, as opposed to owners, but even from these I’d only want one of 'em at our session (you guess). I’ve had many a promising Friday night ruined by some eejit pummelling the goat to death for the second time in its life. Ennis wasn’t making a gag - that was a pure cri de couer!
Meh… ok, Steve. Can’t argue with that, but he expressed it like a twat.
And anyone who brings a penknife near my Belgarth will be shown the error of Ennis’s ways. 
Ah, yes, Brother Buddhu, but you can’t catch what you can’t see. I live in shadow and emerge when you head to the jacks to get a pint. For I am the bodhran slayer. . .
mwa ha ha ha cough hack!:o
And you should see what I can do to a pair of spoons.
Oh yeah? Try it on with my Belgarth, sunshine, and you’ll see what I can do with a pair of spoons. Take my word, it’ll bring tears to the eyes… 
And before Steve gets in there, no I don’t mean that it’s my playing that brings tears to the eyes… 
Christy Moore uses his hand fairly often. I use my hand for the most part. But, I’ll use a tipper if I am in the mood for rim playing or super fast triplets.
I think it is important for all to understand, that in civilized settings, a bodhran is NOT a lead instrument. 
Christy Moore uses his hand fairly often. I use my hand for the most part. But, I’ll use a tipper if I am in the mood for rim playing or super fast triplets.
…glad I know the context of this post 
Jason
There’s a fellow who prefers to play bodhrán (also a very enjoyable whistle player, so I don’t quite get it), and his love of flash and subrhythms can really spoil a tune. It’s like he’s trying to give the the drum a function and standing of a melody instrument. If any of you are familiar with the reel Corney is Coming, I’ll presume you know how a punchy and driving way seems to suit it best. Well, you’ve never lived until you you’ve heard a “bippitybappity buh-bopppita boop boop boop boppity” backing that one up. I use the word “backing” loosely, of course. It hurts, so.
He’s a very affable and reasonable fellow, so I spoke to him once about it and said that melody players really need a bodhrán to be steady and firm, like a good heartbeat, no more. The occasional brief flight of fancy is okay; just bring it back to earth in short order, please. It’s not about suppression for suppression’s sake, but about “less is more”. He averred that he was cool with that. It appears my appeals didn’t take, though. We despair of him, I hate to say. The bodhrán itself suffers a major dignity loss when you try to make a xylophone of it, and unfortunately it’s so often the drummer who doesn’t hear this for himself.
Maybe he took “heartbeat” to mean “arrhythmic tachycardia”. I might have to ask about that.