This may be an impossible question since not all songs are played at the same speed. Nevertheless, can anyone give a good ballpark metronome speed to work up to during practice for reels, jigs, and hornpipes?
I remember a topic on this, I’m sure someone will direct you there 
It’s a bit of a funny question to ask, really. I mean, how fast do you want to play? Why not decide what speed you like the tunes at?
I don’t hold with practising along with a metronome, myself. But FWIW, and since you asked for a ballpark figure, I regard 110 bpm as a nice comfortable clip for reels. 95 bpm is lovely too, for savouring all the niceties. And so is 130 bpm in the right circumstances, playing for ceili dances for example.
I don’t know about bpms for jigs and hornpipes and other types of tune, have never checked.
Fast enough for MTGuru to dance to it, but not so fast we have to take him to the hospital. 
Oh, now you’re talking geriatric. spastic dancer speeds. Hey, Martin Hayes could send me running for the oxygen tank. 
Seriously, I’ve seen (and used) published guidelines for playing for feis type dancing, where consistency is valued. You set a metronome, stick it in your ear, and off you go.
Otherwise, just listen and imitate. Mary Bergin’s Feadóga Stáin recordings e.g. include reels, jigs, hornpipes at non-supergroup speeds. Follow her lead. Or slower or faster, per your taste, mood, regional preference, and the tune itself.
So I’m not sure that metronome numbers are very useful. As Steve illustrates … When you end up (correctly) giving a range of 95 to 130 for reels, how useful is that? You gotta listen first.
I totally agree with StevieJ. Don’t get me wrong, you probably won’t want to play a jig at slow air speed, or vice versa, but find a “peppy” tempo for a jig or reel that you are comfortable with. It doesn’t have to be a speed that would even make death metal drummers envious!
Also, I’ve been working on “The Wind that Shakes the Barley”. I’ve heard a ridiculously fast version of this (can’t remember which popular band it was) and I felt it ruined the melody. Sometimes playing really fast to show off how awesome your technique is can become rather dull, at least to my ears. I’ve been playing this tune at more relaxed pace and have been enjoying it that much more. Now if I can only learn “The Musical Priest” next…
Good luck and have fun while doing it!
Matt
Thank you all very much for the advice!
That really helps. I thought the same about some clips I’ve heard, but thought maybe I just didn’t understand the music. Either way, it makes the point that personal taste does enter the equation.
One of those “sudden moments of understanding” nearly struck me blind once in connection with Seamus Egan’s flute recording of “O’Dowd’s” from the Solas “Words That Remain” album (and also on “Reunion”).
It’s a beautiful slow tune and arrangement, just melting with expression and warmth, rising from a dark bell D eventually up to a singing high G/A climax that just cries and hovers before coming back down. The beauty and simplicity almost put me in tears of appreciation.
Well one day in our session, during a quiet spot, I pulled out this tune and went through several rounds on whistle, which people seemed to enjoy. After, I think it was Zac Leger who turned to me and said: “Oh, yeah … Dowd’s Number 9 … nice tune.”
It took a few seconds of my head exploding to realize what had happened. Yes, “O’Dowds” is “Dowd’s #9”, and I hadn’t even recognized the tune as the same. The old warhorse reel that most session players can happily toss off had become a beautiful slow air just by dialing down the speed, exploring between the crevices and, as StevieJ said above, savoring the the niceties.
So I guess the lesson is: don’t let some rigid idea of tempo lock you in. Some details work best fast, and some slow, and some in the middle. Explore them all, and give a tune a chance to reveal itself in different ways.
To my ears, Seamus takes a few liberties with that tune – even knowing it, I have a hard time reconciling the tune from the Beauty Spot set with the standard setting.
A good slow reel is hard to beat, and not too uncommon, at least on records. OTOH, I can think of very few slow jigs. Garry Shannon does some at a very leisurely pace on Loozin’ Air, and that’s one of my favorite sets ever.