The Ceili Bands of the 60's and before
Currently listing 37 ceili bands as of
04/03/2008
"Ceili"
Bands (the word means "party" in Gaelic) have been around Ireland for centuries.
In the earliest days, ceilis would take place almost anywhere: in a house, at a
crossroads, where ever a few musicians and dancers got together.
In the early years of the 20th Century, Ceili bands and
Orchestras vied for the hearts of Irish dancers. Of course, orchestras tended to
be more refined and sophisticated, sporting tuxedos and reading sheet music,
while the ceili bands were more raucous, casual, and more "rural" in nature.
Finding information about the Ceili Bands of Ireland is a
difficult task today. Unlike the orchestras, many of which morphed into new
formats when the showbands took over the ballroom scene, the ceili bands all but
disappeared. No longer providing music for the dancing public, they were
relegated to guest appearances at Fleadh Cheoils and Irish Traditional
Festivals.
However, in the 1940's and 1950's the Ceili Bands were a major
force in the Irish Entertainment scene. This section of the website may never
grow much past the current size, but we thought it was important to pay tribute
to this form of Irish entertainment separately, rather than as a subset of the
showband list.
Click here
for
Ceili band photos.
Click here for
personal photo collections
Click on any blue highlighted Ceili band name to see their
photos
|
Assaroe Ceili
Band [Unknown] |
| Avoca Ceili Band^ [Avoca, Co. Wicklow] |
| Blarney
Ceili Band^ [Cork] |
| Bofield
Ceili Band [Bofield, Co. Mayo] |
| Bridge Ceili Band [Portarlington]
(formed in 1970 and still going strong today) |
| Castle Ceili Band [Co.
Dublin] (formed in the early 1960's) |
| Chris Connolly Ceili Band^ [Kilcullen] |
| Ceolteoiri Loch Gorman
[Unknown] |
| David Currie Ceili Band
[Belfast] |
| Ritchie Fitzgerald
(Bundoran) Ceili Band
[Bundoran] |
| Ciaran Kelly
Ceili Band [Unknown] |
| Coleman
Country Ceili Band [Co. Sligo] |
| Sonny Flynn's Ceili Band [Unknown] |
| Gallowglass
Ceili Band [Unknown]
(dropped the Ceili and became the Gallowglass with Tony O'Leary) |
| Glenview Ceili Band [Sligo] |
| Graignamanagh Ceili Band^ [Co. Kilkenny]
(formed in the early 1960's-formerly known as St. Joseph's Ceili Band) |
| Green Linnet Ceili Band^ [Co. Dublin] |
| Kilfenora
Ceili Band^[Kilfenora, Co. Clare]
(founded in 1909 and still on the road today) |
| Kiltormer
Ceili Band^[Ballinsaloe] |
| Leitrim
Loughrea Ceili
Band^ [Loughrea] |
| Liam Ivory's
Ceili Band [Unknown] |
| Lough Gowna Ceili Band [Co. Kilkenny] |
| Cathal McAnulty Ceili Band [Co. Down]
(formed in 1985) |
| Brendan Mulhaire's Ceili Band^ [Galway] |
| Sean Norman Ceili Band [Edenderry, Co. Offaly]
(formed in 1965) |
| Dermot O'Brien Ceili Band^ [Dublin] |
| Michael O'Mahony's Shandrum Ceili Band [Milford, Co. Cork] |
| Oranmore Ceili Band^ [Oranmore, Co. Galway]
(broke up in the late 80's and recently reformed) |
| Pickering Ceili Band^ [Moy, Co. Tyrone] |
| Pride
of Erin Ceili Band* [Omagh, Co. Tyrone] |
| Progressiffs Ceili Band* [Unknown] |
| Donal Ring Ceili Band^ [Cork] |
| Shamrock Ceili Band^ [Navan] |
| Shandon Ceili Band^ [Cork] |
| St.
Mary's Ceili Bandshow^ [Sligo] |
| Tulla Ceili Band [Tulla,
Co. Clare] (formed in 1946) |
| Waterford Comhaltas Ceili Band [Waterford] (formed in 1988) |
| Western Ceili Band [Galway] |
