When I played ballroom music tunes had a regular tempo…fox trot, for example at 120. My quetion…is there a regualr tempo for Jigs, Reels, Hornpipes ect within the Irish tradition. To know would greatly help me in knowing at what speed I should be playing a jig, for example.I know some vary the speeds but , is there a ‘proper’ speed at which the various types of Irish music should be played? Les. 
Well, haven’t you just opened a can of worms. 
The tempo will depend on the application (i.e., playing for a group of dancers, a pub audience, yourself, a private session). By no means do I advocate playing at break-neck speed, but at a leisurely pace which allows the music to speak. Most importantly, don’t play faster than you are capable. Some people play reels around 120, some around 80. There was a lengthy discussion about this a couple years ago on the ITM forum which might help. http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=7488
Here are some pretty standard tempos:
Reels- 112/120
Jigs- 126
Slip Jigs- 144
Slides and Polkas- 132/138
Hornpipes- 92
Of course there are more tues just can’t think of the tempos.
What is the slowest tempo for each type to be played by a newbie without ruining the style? This would be for an audience where no one is dancing.
Will O’Ban
As fast (slow) as you can play it well. Anyone will appreciate slow and steady. but will cringe at fast and wobbly. There is no minimum speed.
Thanks, Bloo. The few that I am comfortable with – mostly hornpipes and polkas – are done at a leisurely stroll, about 70% of the clip’s speed that I’m learning from. When I push it much above that, the rthythm and notes start to fall apart.
Will O’Ban
There are plenty of players, especially the geezers, who play/have played at much slower tempos than you hear on most commercial CD’s. One of the best discs I own is by Jack and Charlie Coen. They played each tune at the tempo that seemed right for the tune; I doubt this ever exceeded about 95-100 for reels or 120 for jigs. I find it quite comfortable to play along with.
My MIL was here for Christmas, just after I’d gotten a shipment of discs in. Conal O’Grada was on, and in the middle of a reel, she asked, “Does anybody dance that fast?”
PS – I would have said the same thing Bloo posted. It’s good advice.
My personal guide is to not try to play faster than I can lilt the tune. That is the upper limit of how well I know and understand the music.
Angelo
Great help…I just needed a guide to get some idea…thanks Les.
I find that many, maybe most, Irish session players play tunes much faster than I would. I remember sessions in the borders of Scotland where local players would play Scottish jigs and reels at a much slower speed than the musicians playing Irish tunes. Reels, especially, are often played at a breakneck speed that no-one outside Riverdance could actually dance to.
I take hornpipes quite slowly, and very dotted: many players take them at reel speed. Sometimes it’s individual preference, or local tradition.
I recall hearing a recording of Irish piper Pat Mitchell playing Carolan’s Concerto at the most amazingly relaxed and laid-back pace: to me it sounded much better than the Chieftains’ more manic version.
play it from the heart and you won’t go wrong
brian
Yes, but after a pint or two there’s nothing like bringing up the tempo just for the fun of it. Some of the most memorably nights of music have been when we all got a bit crazy. I’ve noticed that the more relaxed the players seem to be, the less attention the audience pays. When the band is sweating and smiling and stretching themselves, the audience enjoys it.
I agree that most renditions of Carolan’s Concerto are way too fast. My favorite is one by Michael Rugg, the dulcimer player and former maker, which is a bit animated, but not played at breakneck speed. I dunno that I can do it justice at even that tempo – the rolls on the high notes just never come out as I’d like.
I heard Kevin Burke do the most amazing rendition of Carolan’s Concerto the other night. It was done at a very relaxed tempo, pretty straight, too, with minimal ornaments. I wish I had my iRiver with me, even just for that one tune, 'cause I don’t know what it was about it, just the delivery.
He does it similarly here: http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/archive.html (search on Burke and it will come up). It’s about 20 minutes into the show. It’s not as good as I remember it last week, but it’s still wonderful.