21st birthday party ceilidh at the Merlin, Edinburgh
Last night Da Hooley ceilidh band was out playing for a 21st birthday party ceilidh in Morningside, Edinburgh. We arrived to find that the Merlin has had a refurbishment since we last played for a ceilidh there, which has improved the dance floor space and the stage.
The event was another celebration for a family we have played many ceilidhs for over the years. It’s always fun to catch up at each event, and we love being the ‘family ceilidh band’!
Wedding ceilidh at St Columba’s by the Castle, Edinurgh
Tonight the band was out playing at a wedding reception ceilidh in the hall at St Columba’s by the Castle in Edinburgh. We arrived to set ourselves up, and discovered that the evening had a dramatic pink and black theme.
It was lovely to see so many youngsters enjoying themselves, too – there were plenty of wee minitaure kilts on the dance floor once the ceilidh got going. It was another fun night for the band, with plenty of guests keen to get up and try out the dances, even though they’d not been to a ceilidh before.
On Friday night the band was out playing at a ceilidh in the Balmoral Hotel (formerly called the North British Hotel), for Edinburgh University students. It was another fun night for us, as the students, although largely unfamiliar with the dances, were really up for giving it a go, and were quick to get up onto the dance floor, and equally quick to pick up the dances.
While we were setting up we had a wee glitch with a fiddle pickup. We were hunting around for some gaffer tape to fix it, but there was none to be found in our kit. After a bit of asking around, we were offered some elastoplast as a possible sticky solution. The quips about Band Aid were inevitable!
On Burns night Da Hooley ceilidh band played at a Burns Supper celebration for students and alumni of Edinburgh University. The ceilidh was at South Hall in the Pollock Halls complex, near the Commonwealth Pool.
It was a busy evening, with a packed dance floor all night. Unusually for a Burns Supper, there were very few locals at the event. There were students from around the world getting up to dance, who had never seen ceilidh dancing before, never mind trying it out. So Drew’s calling skills came into their own. It didn’t take long to get folk birling round the dance floor as if they’d been doing it all their lives, though. There was a whole lot of energy in the room from then on. We had a ball!
We played at a fantastic Hogmanay ceilidh in Edinburgh last night, organised by Mo at the Edinburgh Mojo Meetup group. The ceilidh had sold out several weeks before the event. It turned out to be a high energy evening, with a packed dance floor all night. We headed out to Castle Street to watch the spectacular Edinburgh Hogmanay Street Party fireworks, then rounded the evening off with a few more dances.
One of the things we loved about the evening, was the unexpected appearance of a full set of Vikings at the ceilidh. I’m sure I saw them at the top of Calton Hill the previous night, in the torchlit procession 😉 They were full of energy and fun!
So, we’re wishing everyone a fantastic 2013 – may it bring you whatever you wish for yourself and your friends and family.
We’re looking forward to some fun gigs in 2013. If you’re interested in booking Da Hooley ceilidh band for your own event, you can use our online enquiry form, or call Drew on 0131 665 0101.
Da Hooley ceilidh band is based in Edinburgh, so it’s no big surprise that we play a lot of gigs in and around the city. We’ve had a busy week this week, with ceilidhs on Monday and Tuesday in Edinburgh, and a third ceilidh coming up at the end of the week in East Lothian.
On Monday we had an unusual daytime gig in a marquee on the east side of the city. It was a tad chilly for an outdoor gig. Suffice to say it was one of the most unusual gigs we’ve played in a while. We may never view our favourite Gay Gordons set in quite the same light again! A huge thanks to the folk who danced their socks off in the cold all day – it helped to thaw us all out a wee bit!
On Tuesday evening we were playing in the Scottish Story Telling Centre on the high street, for a Christmas party. The gig was fortuitously timed to finish well before the end of the session in the Whisky Bar just up the street, so we trotted up there for a few tunes before bedtime.
If you’re planning on being in Edinburgh for Hogmanay 2012, and you’re looking for a fun way to celebrate New Year, we have a chance for you to win two Hogmanay ceilidh tickets. The ceilidh is already sold out. The lucky winners will be joining an exuberant crowd for a night of ceilidh dancing, including a chance to watch the wonderful Edinburgh Hogmanay firework display. See the foot of the page for the event details.
***This competition is now closed***
1) This promotion is in not administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
2) You are providing information to Da Hooley ceilidh band and not to Facebook.
3) Email addresses will only be used to notify the competition winner. We will not pass your contact details on to anyone else.
4) The competition closes at midnight on Sunday 16th December 2012.
Edinburgh Hogmanay ceilidh
Edinburgh city centre Hogmanay ceilidh with Da Hooley ceilidh band.
Come to Edinburgh, the festival city for a cracking Scottish Hogmanay Hooley with Da Hooley ceilidh band.The band will have you dancing till the wee small hours. We’ll take a short break just before midnight, and go out to enjoy Edinburgh’s spectaular Hogamany fireworks display.
Time: to
Venue: Hill Street Hall
19 Hill St, Edinburgh, Scotland Event details and tickets Da Hooley ceilidh band’s upcoming gigs
Tonight we were out at another Edinburgh school ceilidh. It was our annual visit to play for the fundraising event run for the Stewart’s Melville school pipe band. We had a slightly rocky start to the evening with a puncture on the way to the gig. But Drew was rescued by a passing RAC driver, we set up at double speed, and we caught up with ourselves and started the gig on time.
We’ve lost count of the number of years we’ve been playing at this ceilidh, but it’s still one we look forward to in the band’s calendar. One of the highlights of the evening for us is getting to hear the junior and senior pipe bands perform. They were certainly on good form tonight. The junior and senior dancers also put on a cracking display for the audience.
Last night we were out playing in St Peter’s church hall in Edinburgh. The ceilidh was a celebration party for Sangstream, a folk choir in Edinburgh. The event also marked the completion of a project from the summer – recording their CD ‘More than a choir’.
St Peter’s church is a lovely venue for a ceilidh. As it’s just off South Clerk Street, it’s pretty central, and is easy to get to. Although the hall is in the middle of the city, it has some resident wildlife! I snapped this picture on my mobile phone a few weeks ago, at another ceilidh in the hall. I spotted this wee fellow scuttling off into the shadows as I was locking up my bike. I decided to have a quick look to see if he was still lurking behind the parked cars before I went into the hall. I was a bit surprised to not only find him standing there, but that he came towards me as I got my camera out of my pocket. I guess he was hoping for something a bit more interesting than a photo opportunity!
The main room at St Peter’s has a wooden floor, which is great for dancing. And the choir had permission to use the kitchens, which meant the band were treated to a fantastic buffet of typical Sangstream proportions!
It was a pleasure to play for a group of folk which included so many people familiar with plenty of ceilidh dances. And we had a brief performance of a couple of Sangstream’s favourite songs before the night was over.
Tonight the band was out playing for a wedding in the Merchant Hall in Hanover Street, Edinburgh. It’s a fabulous venue, with a huge domed ceiling in the main function room, some ornate carvings, and plenty of huge portraits around the walls. The room was beautifully presented, with a red and white theme for the tables.
We were on a tight schedule getting the band set up before the dancing began for the night, so didn’t have a lot of time to take in the surroundings until the ceilidh was underway.
Playing for the queen
As we were playing for the first Gay Gordons, I realised as I looked around that we had Princess Anne looking down from the wall on the right, and Prince Phillip watching over the ceilidh from our left hand side. When the band took a break in the middle of the evening, I discovered the Queen looking down from behind us, taking a great interest in the dancing. I can safely say it’s the first time we’ve played in quite such prestigious company!
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