Irish traditional music is now a world music, like Salsa or Reggae. And like Salsa or Reggae, it can now be found in the most unlikely places. If it is strange for a Cuban to meet a pale, red-haired Kerry woman with a passion for Salsa, well, what about a Japanese with a bodhran, or a Russian with a gra for the uillinn pipes? Get used to it.

An example of the internationalisation of Irish traditional music is a band such as Eiri na Greine. The name might suggest a hardcore traditional outfit, but when you discover that one of the principal players is named Takeshi Yasui you may be a little taken aback. Tokyo now has a thriving traditional scene, and has its own annual Celtic festival. But Irish music has even filtered down to the Japanese provinces, with bands such as the Nagoya-based Irish traditional group, The Rising Pints. Russia seems to have something of a Trad sub-culture. Apart from groups such as Slua Si, others such as Puck 'n' Piper and Si Mhor ensure that there is a lively traditional scene in Moscow. Si Mhor were formed when the original Slua Si divided in two, and they took their name from a work by the medieval composer Turlough O'Carolan.

In Italy, Tuatha De Danann are keeping the flame alight for Irish traditional music composed between 1400 and 1800 - I'd call that specialised - while in Poland, Zbigniew Seyda and friends, otherwise known as Carrantuohill, have been thrashing out reels and jigs since 1987. It seems that no matter where you go you might hear a slow air on the wind. In Sweden that air might be played by Blackthorn, in Germany by The Hibernians, or in Denmark by Ash Plant.