Really just a guess, if it's not the song you're looking for then I hope you enjoy it anyways.

Black 47 "Funky Céilí" - YouTube

Adj84, have you considered some of the music for Riverdance? That was pretty big in the 90s.

Irish traditional music in general was HUGE late 80s up into mid 90s. I remember Secret Garden won Eurovision in 1995 on behalf of Norway, but their song (Nocturne) really ripped off the celtic fad that was rampant at the time. To me, it sounded more like something out of Ireland than Norway (though it's probably not what you're looking for).

If not riverdance, it might have been a modernized version of one of many traditional irish jigs?

I had not considered it, and will look into this weekend, thanks very much for the idea :)

As for a modernized version of a traditional irish jig, very possible --- but i've been browsing through every jig that i can on youtube and cannot find the melody (on page one there's a link to where I am humming it)

I think that's "Stop the Cavalry" by Jona Lewie

Omg OP, I registered only to bring you the answer you have been looking for (hopefully). I don't know if you are still around but the tune you might be looking for might be this (fast forward to 14 seconds to get to the tune)



The tune is from a french movie called "La soupe aux choux" ("the cabbage soup"), with Louis de Funes, very well known here. It is the main tune of the movie - if you type musique la soupe aux choux in youtube you will find it.

It's from around 1981 - the theme song of the movie became wildly popular and still is 40 years later - very recognisable here. It was remixed so many times by so many different artists, you might have heard a version of it - perhaps not the exact theme.
It's a folk/synthpop tune played on keyboard, inspired by some Bourbon traditional tune.
I hope I am not mistaken and this is the tune you were looking for - albeit perhaps not the exact one, you might have to dig a little more to find the version you heard!

Cheers