Anyone know titles of albums of set dancing or ceili music?

Question

I've recently started Irish set dancing classes, which won't be starting up again until the fall. In the meantime, some of my classmates and I have decided to have our own informal gatherings until then.

Essentially, I'm looking for some good music to use when we get together to dance. Something I could find on CD or in a downloadable mp3 format (ie, someting on iTunes or a similar site) would be preferable since I don't know what type of media player will be available (ie, computer, tape deck, CD player, etc) and a digital format is the most versitle.

Please, I am only looking for advice from people who are familiar with set dancing and ceili music. Thank you very much in advance for your assistance.

Maybe it would help if I listed some titles I found already? I want an album that's a decent mix of stuff. We're all sort of beginners when it comes to set dancing, so we'd like a broad range of songs we can use to practice a variety of sets. Here are some album titles I found on Amazon so far:
Celtic Dances: Jigs & Reels from Ireland
Irish Traditional Fiddle Music (Reels, Jigs & Polkas)
Irish Jigs & Reels
Irish Ceili Dance Music

Thanks again for your help.

Answer 1

Lots of great young bands coming out of Ireland these days that still follow traditional formulas. I highly recommend a band called Dervish, though bands like Clannad have gone more commercial, their early stuff is great, same goes for Altan. I used to play in a Celtic band called Blackthorn, very traditional sound... check out www.blackthornband.com. Have fun and good for you!

Answer 2

Michael Sexton Ceili Band
Caledonion Set
Reels:
1Dublin reel and Mick O' Conner
2Down The Broom
3Donegal and Lynch's Reel
Jigs:
1Queen of the fair and Pat Curtain Jig
2Paddy O' Brian and the gay Harp
Polka:
1Maggie in The Wood
Hornpipes:
1Daniel O' Connell
2Kitty's Wedding