Thank you Obi,. I really enjoyed that. However, if you close your eyes and just listen it has lost to a great extent it's "ethnic" flavour.How about this Hungarian folk song performed in the modern style? Do you see any dance or melodic similarities to the Irish music and dancing? To me these are apparent.
I think what I want to say is that the beat,as you say modern, loses the feel which is only referred back to in the Flute.
I think Riverdance is probably the closest you can get to modern without loosing the ethnic flavour. Music can, to a certain extent be modernised but this ends up not folk. Dance should never be messed with. Just my opinion.
I would truly love to hear this song in it's original form.