Not long ago I found Brian Roche’s website with lots of interesting stuff in it about regional musicians-
http://www.rocheviolins.com/html/traditional_irish_music.html
Great fun exploring the site, thought I’d share the link. There are links to the regional music documentary film which was shown awhile back too.
Wow, lesl - what a great site! Have just “wasted” three quarters of an hour on it when I’m supposed to be getting ready to go out… 
Excellent, thanks for the link! I’ve been meaning to learn more about regional styles, and that youtube video underscores that need.
Have we had threads on here about differences between regional styles?
One specific example: Here’s some 1977 video of the Bothy Band. At 0:34 they go into Fisherman’s Lilt. Is that the driving Donegal style?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3oO6I56Guc
Now, by contrast, Edel Fox and Ronan O’Flaherty recorded Fisherman’s Lilt, as the first tune in the last set on their CD. It’s also on Edel’s myspace page, for now at least:
http://www.myspace.com/edelfoxconcertina
Edel plays Fisherman’s Lilt not so fast, with a little lilt (bounce?), which reminds me of some of Brian Conway’s playing, which I understand is Sligo style. So is Edel’s style also Sligo? But, she’s from Clare, so, is her playing more of a Clare style, and Clare is just closer to Sligo style than Donegal?
Maybe I just need a scorecard giving several examples of each style…
I don’t know the answers to the Fisherman’s Lilts. I learned most all my music from one person, so I think of the music as “the way I have it” and “the other ways”. In fact I first learned the Fisherman’s lilt off that Bothies album, that exact same set, but when I play it, it comes out more like the other example no matter how hard I try to sound like Paddy Keenan.. 
It’s probably more a question for the accomplished ethnomusi-college-ists who have studied and played many styles. After all, classifying music is a bit like grammar, it came after the fact. I think in general there’s often individual styles more than regional ones, but it’s still fascinating. Like what Steve said! It hooked me in too just checking, oh this fellow, oh wow that fellow..
Gordon T has a great site on flute styles at The Flow. http://www.theflow.org.uk/ and there’s another wonderful site about fiddle styles, the link escapes me at the moment so hopefully someone else will provide it.
Thanks for that very comprehensive link Lesl, I got the one about the fiddle: http://www.irishfiddle.com/styles.html
FWIW I don’t feel its very conducive to have discussions on types of regional styles unless you’ve done a lot of listening because thats the only way you will actually learn - no amount of descriptors, however articulate, can substitute for this. It also helps to understand how the phenomenon of regional styles occurred, which I think the TG4 videos outline well.
Yes, what a great looking site, no time to explore it just now as work.
But one thing strikes me: Steve you have three quaters of an hour during which you are supposed to be getting ready to go out? 
Jeez Steve, you’re a guy, how long can it take to put on a pair of shoes?
Nah, three minutes with a tub of Swarfega is all I need. It’s the queueing up for the bathroom that eats up the time. You know how it is. Ah, married life.
Whooooohoooo! This looks so cool! Thanks, Lesl!
And anent the Edel question, I think concertina styles are a whole different ballgame.