This map:
http://www.mnplan.state.mn.us/maps/ancestry/us/irish.gif
shows concentrations of Irish ancestry in the US. So clearly the places to go for sessions are Kentucky, Tennessee, New York City and some county out in Oregon.
And stay out of Minnesota and North Dakota, eh?
– Scott
hmmm… I wonder what the criteria are? Of Celtic ancestry or strictly Irish-Catholic? If you throw in the Ulster Scots, mostly from Ireland but of Scots background, the map makes more sense. Surprised the SF didn’t show too, a major point of Irish immigration since the Gold Rush. To this day, many housepainters enter the country and work in SF. But maybe my perceptions are an issue of visibility, not just hard numbers.
If you’ll more closely examine that map, and notice it’s not only 13 years old, but also based on per 1,000 people… You’ll clearly see that NJ and DE are the states to be in!!! 
~Larry
here’s some festivals! http://www.europeanirish.com/Music/MusicCalender.htm
http://www.dojo.ie/musicbox/imd/
I would say Celtic ancestry. I come from a dark blue county which only has a few fair-sized Catholic churches, them moved to a light blue county which is much more Catholic (but with more people of Hispanic and central or southern European background). Being a Protestant myself, and having mixed (but mostly Protestant) ancestry, I could only answer yes to the first question.
Now that can’t be true. I watch the Sopranos and all you have is Sicilians. 
I think you missed Boston… 
Robin
I notice some red counties in my neck of VA. I sure don’t know of any sessions though. 
I’m with you Cowtime, I live in PA and theres a red county one county over from me, Sussex? Not realy sure map is kinda small, anyway I called any and every eating establishment with the word Pub in the name, and not a single one has any sessions, most of the people I talked to didn’t even know what a session was, which I took for a “no” and hung up.
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Now that can’t be true. I watch the Sopranos and all you have is Sicilians. [/quote]
There was an eppisode of the Sopranos not 5 miles (as the crow flies) from my home. They dumped somebodys body in the Quarry known as dutch springs. Rather nice swimming hole. Especially if you like to dive off of 75’+ cliffs. You can also take scooba diving lessons there. Water is pretty cold though until you get into late summer… I have never seen any bodies floating around in that water unless they had water wings on or a life vest.
I grew up across the border from Wheeler county in Oregon, which has the abnormally high ratio of people with Irish ancestry. The local reaction to my interest in Irish music - bagpipes - was “That Kevin was always nuts!” Etc. etc.
Wheeler county’d be a good place to drink beer at 2 AM in front of an illegal (self service) gas station, or to blow up tires with pipe bombs. I don’t know about sessions!
Having grown up where I did, in an Irish-Catholic parish on the west side of Cleveland, when I hear “Irish-American” I immediately think urban and Roman Catholic, if only “culturally Catholic”. I think the urban, Catholic I-As tend to be the ones who hold onto the Irish identity more than rural I-As do.
Mike
Where to Find the Irish?
Turn Right at Greenland 
I wondered if that red county in Oregon was Wheeler county. To have 100+ Irish descent per 1000 population, Wheeler country probably needs about two families.
That red spot in Montana looks close to Missoula.
Wheeler County, total population 1547, including my cousin Dave, in the 2000 census. Such places exit, urbanites. The biggest town is Fossil, so named because a lot of them were dug up there. Approximate population 399.
Cyfiawnder,
The closest session to you is in Lambertville, N.J. (I think that’s across the river from New Hope). There is a pub there that has a Wednesday night session. Do a google search on Lambertville and it should come up. There’s another one in Bridgewater, N.J., just off I-287. That’s about 35 miles from Easton. I go to that one every month. If you’re interested, give me a shout and I’ll give you the scoop. The only Irish-American pub I know of in Sussex County is in Franklin on Rt. 23 and their idea of Irish music is Daniel O’Donnell. There’s slim pickin’s in this part of the world.
I know where both of those places are, Not the Pubs themselves, but the towns. I go to new hope a lot durring the summer, and my handbagaholic fiance is always making me drive her to the Bridgewater mall…(she doesn’t like to drive anywhere that I can drive her to) Only 35 miles? Are you sure about that? it takes me a good 45 Minutes to drive to bridgewater and I drive like my @$$ is on fire, clutch smoking gears grinding tires burning, and i still haven’t left the driveway The other problems with sessions for me is that I work second shift, so it would have to be a late friday night/early saturday session or a saturday night session. I’m not so sure I want to drive the 40 miles back from new hope on RT 611 early in the morning. That road is tricky enough durring the daylight hours. I guess I’ll have to just move to ireland, I should be able to find one or two there. Problem is I can only eat so many potatos…
I still wonder how they arrived at their conclusions. They surely didn’t come and ask me! 
Like others have said in this thread, where are the sessions in the red counties?
cyfiawnder,
If it takes you that long to get to the Commons Mall you should stop using the free bridge and save yourself some time. The Bridgewater session is on the fourth Sunday evening of every month from 5 to 9.
There must be so few Irish in my state of Hawaii that the entire state seems to have dissapeared! Having a hard time finding Alaska too.
Clark