Hi folks, back in 2007 Iron Broo recorded a Live ceilidh band album. We did this on our own at the Moray Ceilidh Club on 21st April 2007. We knew we would get a good audience there as the ceilidh club was full of enthusiastic dancers and we had played there many times. The club held quite a lot of ceilidhs over quite a few years, I think it was once every month, and they used live ceilidh bands from all over Scotland. It was always a great night, and we felt it was an excellent gig to pick for a live ceilidh recording on a shoestring budget. Sadly the Moray Ceilidh Club no longer exists, it’s hard to compete against digital entertainment and home cinemas. However, you can still buy this recording on CD or download it here. Maybe have yourself a wild lockdown ceilidh at the weekend.
Here’s a track with a set of waltzes from the ceilidh recording using some film of Edinburgh.
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The future of live ceilidh music
I’ll struggle to understand why more people don’t like getting out to a good old fashioned ceilidh, in a hall, bringing your own bottle and snacks. It’s a great atmosphere and not expensive. It should be much more popular. It gets you fit, you meet good people and enjoy yourself, with or without a drink.
After the Lockdown, I hope people still remember what an absolute treasure of our culture a ceilidh is. I hope the negative lethargy that has set in throughout society since the introduction of streaming television shows and social media is addressed with some balance. The ‘almost a year of lockdown’ restrictions has compounded this issue. We are in danger of becoming a nation of couch potatoes!
A ceilidh is ace, good for your mind, body, spirit, wellbeing, and your sense of freedom and community.
We will host some public ceilidhs again when the rules allow, and we hope you will support our efforts to revive our ceilidh culture.
Leave a comment below, and when we do, I’ll let you know.
11 reasons why Scottish ceilidh dancing is good for you?
1. Ceilidh Dancing is a great work out
Ceilidh dancing is a great workout, gets your body moving and heart pumping. Cardio exercise is good for your heart and helps prevent disease and decay. It’s well established regular Scottish dancing can prevent many diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. See the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society article.
2. Ceilidh Dancing will make you feel happy
The live ceilidh dance will make you feel happy. The brain produces chemicals, an endorphin rush stimulated by the physical exercise of dancing and melodic lines of traditional melodies. The repetitive beats have a hypnotic affect. People can experience extreme euphoria when specific frequencies and tempos combine.
3. Ceilidh brings friendship
The social benefits of attending a ceilidh are obvious. We, humans, are social animals. We need to spend time with others. It makes us feel good and expands our thought processes. Meeting new people develops our outlook and introduces us to new things, places and destinies. Who might you meet at a ceilidh? A new love? A new friend?
4. You won’t forget much or trip up often after a Ceilidh
A ceilidh dance can improve your memory, coordination and concentration. It’s true. All that extra blood and adrenaline pumping through your brain steps things up a gear. Apart from the endorphin boost, remembering the dance patterns and formations gets your memory and coordination working like never before. Akin to martial arts training, you will become aware of your surroundings, the dance patterns, where your partner is, and the spatial distances between you and the other dances. Like a trained martial arts fighter, you will be aware of your surroundings at all times. You will become a ceilidh Ninja after attending enough ceilidhs. You will think and see in a new dimension.
5. Ceilidh keeps you younger
Scottish Country Dancing keeps you younger. A recent university study on ladies aged the 60s and 70s found that age-related decline was non-existent in those who participated in regular ceilidh dancing. Scottish dancing prevented age-related degeneration better than other forms of exercise. See the Scotsman article
6. Ceilidh keeps your body stronger
Ceilidh will help make your body muscles more robust. Regular ceilidh improves the strength of the legs, arms, ankles, hips, neck and core. It’s a great total workout.
7. Ceilidh keeps the calories off.
Ceilidh dancing will help you lose weight. An hour of ceilidh dancing can burn 400 calories and offers all the benefits of going to a gym, but is a lot more fun! See the newspaper article
8. Ceilidh dancing makes your bones stronger
Stronger Bones! Ceilidh dancing exercise improves bone density.
9. Ceilidh improves your mental health
Ceilidh dancing promotes positive mental health benefits. As mentioned earlier, the combination of exercise and social benefits are well documented in improving the overall mental health of any ceilidh dancer.
10. Ceilidh dancing reduces stress
Stress-free life. Ceilidh dances reduce overall stress levels in participants in everyday life, even off the dance floor.
11. Ceilidh can lead you on historical adventures
You can learn about history. Many dances have names that have a historical connection. Researching the names and histories of some dances and tunes could lead you on a whole new adventure. Everything has a story behind it. Start writing yours today by attending the next Iron Broo ceilidh dance.
We can’t wait to get out playing live ceilidh again!!
In the meantime it would be much appreciated if you can lend support by:
Subscribing to my YouTube Because it’s nice if you do.
Buying me a coffe I like a coffee
via Patreon A more interactive support medium.
Like our Iron Broo Facebook Page
We hope you will support our efforts to revive our ceilidh culture.
Leave a comment below, and when we do, I’ll let you know.