Tir Na Nog on January 4, 2007

The Carrboro Ceili Band will be starting the New Year off with a ceili at Tir Na Nog in Raleigh. It is scheduled to start at 10:00 p.m. Lee Raymond will be calling.

Inis Cairde Christmas Ceili






The Christmas Ceili sponsored by the Inis Cairde School of Irish Dance was great fun. I am guessing there were about 100 people there of all ages. School founder Meighan Carpenter called a variety of dances for the crowd. We also played for each of the classes as they demonstrated their skills.

Inis Cairde Christmas Party - December 10, 2006

The Carrboro Ceili Band will be playing for the Inis Cairde Christmas party. This is a benefit for the students. More details are available at the Inis Cairde web site. Stay tuned for more details.

Listen to Some of Our Tunes

As part of the process of applying for the Carrboro Music Festival, we recorded two sets of tunes. You can listen to them by clicking on the links here and on the sidebar.

The first is a set of jigs

==> Cooley's (The Knights of Saint Patrick) / The Tongs by the Fire / The Wandering Minstrel.

The second is a set of reels:

==> The Bag of Potatoes / Roaring Mary.

We got both of these sets of tunes from early recordings of the Ballinakill Ceili Band.

Carrboro Music Festival

We are going to be performing at the Carrboro Music Festival on September 24, 2006. We are schedule for 2:00 p.m. on the deck at Cycling Specifics (formerly Music Explorium). The address is 403 Weaver Street.

Please come listen and dance.

Carrboro Tune Book - New Version 7-10-06

I have posted a new version of the Carrboro Tune Book. You can download it from the link on the right. Some of the new tunes and/or medleys include

1) Sporting Nell / West Clare Railway
-- This version of Sporting Nell is from Julia Ross. It is a little different from the usual. We sometimes call it "Sporting Not".

2) Toormore Polkas #1 & #2
-- A nice set of polkas also from Julia.

3) The Traveler / John Henry
-- The Traveler is from Patrick Sky. This version of John Henry is from Cathy Sky.

4) Woman of the House/ Man of the House
-- Man of the House is new here. It is from Ciaran Somers who taught this tune at the Philly Tionol this spring.

A few other tunes have been corrected here and there. I also have images that print more clearly than in previous versions.

Carrboro Ceili Book of Tunes - New Release

There is a new version of the "Book of Tunes" as of 5/4/06. (See the link to the right.) This version includes two new sets or reels; namely,

1. McDermott's / Murphy's / The Crooked Road to Dublin
2. The Mills are Grinding/ The Torn Jacket

These are all tunes I have gotten from Cathy Sky. Thanks to Cathy. If you live in the Chapel Hill area and have the opportunity to take lessons from her, I highly recommend it. (See the link to the right.)

Note that I changed the name of the tune book slightly to reflect that although these are all good, traditional ceili tunes, they are not necessarily going to be played by the Carrboro Ceili Band.

Beltane - Scottish May Day Celebration at NCSU

The Carrboro Ceili Band is playing at the Beltane Celebration at the NCSU Talley Student Center on Saturday, April 29, 2006. Lee Raymond will be calling for a demonstration ceili dance on the North Plaza. We expect to be on stage from about 4 until 4:45 p.m.

We are likely to perform some or all of the following tunes:

Jigs:
Tynagh Jig/ Father Quinn's
Goat on the Green / Jerry's Beaver Hat / The Nightingale

Cooley's / Tongs by the Fire / Wandering Minstrel
The Shaskeen / Brendan Tonra's / Whelan's

Reels:
Limestone Rock / Tommy Whelan's
Rookery / Eddie Moloney's Favorite / Humours of Tulla
Bag of Potatoes / Roaring Mary
Ana Mac / Aggie Whyte's

Polkas:
My Love is but a Lassie / Dark Girl Dressed in Blue

What is a Ceili?

An Irish ceili is a community gathering for Irish social dancing with live musical accompaniment. Come out and join us for a fun evening of social dance and music with the Carrboro Ceili Band, consisting of Tim Smith (flute and keyboard), Eileen Regan (fiddle), Grace Haaland (fiddle), Alison Arnold(flute), and Perry Haaland (flute). This flute and fiddle band is modeled after the early ceili bands of western Ireland, especially the 1930s Ballinakill Ceili Band of East Galway, and its repertoire includes jigs, reels, hornpipes and other traditional dance tunes from Galway and Clare counties. For more information, contact Alison Arnold (919-469-5734) or Perry Haaland (919-942-6658).