Iron Broo Ceilidh Band

Category: Ceilidh

  • Thanks Dancers

    Thanks Dancers

    Live clip from the ceilidh – Thanks to Drew Brown of Abertunity.co.uk

    A would like to say a big thank you to the people who came to our ceilidh and supported us in raising funds for Diabetes UK and having fun at a ceilidh. It was a great night even though the turn out was much smaller than we had hoped for. It’s such a pity we didn’t manage to get the message out effectively. We are considering another one soon to try and build some momentum and bring some more Scottish culture to our city. Something good. Something missing. Something we can make happen.

    I’d also like to thank the band who gave up a rare Friday night off from playing at weddings to give their time to play for free. A time where they could have spent with their family instead of chasing rainbows with Iron Broo.

    Group photo of all the people at the ceilidh

    We also would like to thank our volunteer photographer, who came along to support the event. Drew Brown of Abertunity.co.uk who took many photos and video clips of the night that help capture the atmosphere of a traditional Ceilidh night. You can see Drew’s complete shots on his page: https://drewbrownimages.co.uk/iron-broo-ceilidh-with-a-kick-diabetes-fundraiser/

    Set dancing

    A good band – good company – BYOB
    A few more people could have made a big difference to our fundraising as well.
    We perhaps need to rethink our advertising strategy.

    After costs, we have raised £79, and I have an anonymous donation came in taking this to £100.
    We have done much better in the past and hope we will do much better next time.
    As the saying goes:

    “It’s not how many times you get knocked down that count. It’s how many times you get back up.”

    We are getting back up and hope to increase the fundraising and get folk back to some ceilidh culture.

    Dancing the Cornish Six Hand Reel.
  • Ceilidh Tonight – Guinea Pigs Needed

    Ceilidh Tonight – Guinea Pigs Needed

    Ceilidh Fundraiser Tonight in Aberdeen.

    Tonight is the night for our ceilidh fundraiser for Diabetes.
    It’s also one of the hottest days of the year forecast so far.
    We are in Aberdeen, so I won’t hold my breath.
    I hope we can get a decent turnout so we can raise some money for our efforts.
    It’s a BYOB so it can be a great night even if you are not fit for the dancing.

    ceilidh poster
    ceilidh poster

    Ceilidh Guinea Pigs needed

    Tonight we will attempt a new dance called the Cornish Six Hand Reel. It’s a special request from Fred who has been kept awake at night by this dance. The voices in his head that won’t let him sleep have been whispering it over an over again for the last few weeks. He remembered it from an old Ossian album I think he said.

    I’ll try and think of some nice tunes to go with it 😉

    If you want to swat up on it here are the steps and a link to a YouTube Video from erlebnis-tanz.de

    1-8 As a line of 6, take 8 steps down the hall, balance twice (4 kicks), and turn round 8
    9-16 Take 8 steps back up the hall, balance twice 8
    17-32 Turn the face your partner, Reel of six 16
    33-36 Right hand turn your partner 4
    37-40 Left hand turn your partner 4
    41-44 Two hand turn your partner 4
    45-48 Do-si-do your partner 4
    49-56 All take your partner in a promenade hold and double cast left, with the top couple forming an arch 8
    57-64 All under and swing 8

    Hope to see you tonight at the Ceilidh. Doors open 7.30pm. Bring your own drinks and snacks. Tickets available here or on the door tonight.

  • The Dark Island

    Nostalgic Scottish Music

    Leaving Loch Maddy, North Uist. Looking back towards the Dark Island

    It’s a tune every Scottish accordion player learns and probably the most widely requested Scottish music tune I ever get. In my experience, it’s also the highest earning tune in my repertoire back when we were busking or playing in bars. Many a time I would get asked at the end of a gig in a bar to play the Dark Island. Usually by an older person, quite emotional after a few drinks and they would often hand us a tenner or a twenty afterwards with a tear in their eye. “That’s braw son…just braw”.

    It’s a tune soaked in nostalgia for lots of people.

    I recall playing on the St.Clair ferry from Aberdeen to Shetland one night, many years ago. Myself and my fiddler pal Bill Edwards were asked to play it for a guy after our show. He handed us £120. (£60 each.) For a few minutes playing, that was a lot of money for us back then and still would be today.

    I visited Benbecula last year on a camping trip and used the photos I took during the week to make a video using the track from my album. (A Celtic voice)

    The dark island is one of the first tunes I practised when I picked up the accordion.

    I remember my dad trying to play it, it was one of the 3 tunes he could still remember from playing when he was a teenager.

    The Dark island Video

    Here’s my latest YouTube video of the Dark Island with photos from Benbecula, Eriskay, Berneray, North and South Uist and below is one of my previous videos of the same tune done live, one with Sandy Mathers on fiddle, recorded in front of my pizza oven.

    It’s funny how a tune can creep up on you. I didn’t realise I played it so much.

    The Dark Island – A Celtic Voice
    Sandy Mathers & Charlie Abel

    The forecasting stone outside a shop near Berneray is indicative of the type of weather you can expect around the Dark Island. You won’t see many trees either

    The Forecasting stone
  • Christmas Ceilidh 2019

    Christmas Ceilidh 2019

    Iron Broo Christmas ceilidh
    Iron Broo Christmas ceilidh

    Hi folks, we just released the ticket sales today for our 2019 Christmas Ceilidh party night that will be held at the Beach Ballroom again. Upstairs in the Star Ballroom. We have an EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT on a limited number of tickets. Please take advantage of this offer while you can. We really hope you will join us again and help make Christmas extra special for all of us.

    All the tickets are available online via Eventbrite. Please buy in advance as none will be available on the door. We have sold out in advance for the last few years and hope we will again this year. We promise a great party night ceilidh atmosphere!

    You can access the Eventbrite portal on our website ceilidh ticket page, via our facebook event page, or on Eventbrite itself.

  • The long Ceilidh road of Stovies and smiles.

    We were thinking recently… Over the years we have probably played at over 1500 gigs. Probably over a thousand of them weddings. Each time we play we get a little better at what we do. We never stop learning and improving. We get a real reward knowing that what we do makes a difference. 
    Our ceilidh music gets to make its mark at someone’s special event or their wedding. 
    We’ve often been on stage with our instruments while a bride and groom cut their cake and I’ve wondered if that has meant we are on the mantlepiece in someone’s living room, perhaps in the background of their wedding photo for years to come. Their future grandchildren gazing at the old photo above the LCD fire and wondering what the strange people in the background were doing with real instruments. Alas, probably that will be the extent of our fame in ceilidh music. But I will die an optimist.
    We have continued to improve all aspects of our performance and equipment. Despite the crisis and the threat of gravity and too much Stovies. 
    We love what we do and after 20 years of playing and practicing we are still ramping up the gigs and exploring new frontiers with our music. We are ready for anything…
    ceilidh food

    Traditional Ceilidh fuel (stovies)

  • Help us become record breakers at Castle Fraser this Saturday

    Picture

    Largest Strip the Willow – World Record Attempt
    (taken from the NTS event page)

    Do you want to be a Guinness World Record Breaker? On Saturday 9th of September we will be attempting the Largest Strip the Willow at Castle Fraser and we need YOU.
    In the year 2000 Edinburgh broke the record with 1,914 people during their Hogmany. We are ready to bring the record to Aberdeenshire.
    The event would not be possible without the hard work and contribution of the following people;

    – Iron Broo; who are performing the lovely ceilidh music that will help us strip that willow
    – STV’s Andrea Brymer; who will be hosting the event
    – Deeside Caledonia will be performing before we kick off the attempt
    – Gordon School of Dancing will be showing us all how it’s done before the attempt
    – A-line will be providing all AV and Tech support to make this event possible
    – Mike Gall Transport for providing the staging required
    – Fennel Media who will be filming the amazing attempt
    So save the date and get your dancing shoes at the ready!
    By signing up for a ticket you are signing to take part in our attempt. You will still have to register on the day to collect your band.  Tickets are free to attend however, there is a £2 parking fee.
    Due to the nature of this record attempt participants must be 10 years and over.
    If you are a business or group and would like to register a team to take part please get in contact with castlefraser@nts.org.uk.
    Registration: Opens at 12:00pm and closes at 1:30pm for a 2:00pm record breaking kick off.
    There will be catering vans and activities to help you to warm up and stay limber. Please keep in mind that we do live in Scotland so dress for the weather. We will be going ahead with our attempt regardless of the weather, so please bring suitable clothing and footwear as you will be dancing on grass. Ponchos will be available to buy on the day if you do require one.
    Tickets are limited, booking essential.
    Let’s do this Aberdeenshire!
    Organiser Paula Swan said: “I can’t wait to see it. It was a little idea we had last year and only last week we got confirmation from Guinness World Records to say we could do it.
    “Now it’s a reality and we’re really excited about pulling it together, and the responses we’ve had so far have been fantastic.”
    She added: “The great thing about Castle Fraser is you can stand on the tower, so we’re planning on filming it.
    “We’re also going to fly drones across the field to really capture all the people having fun.”
    Sat 09-09-17 @ 12:00
    https://www.facebook.com/events/108693186471815/

  • Teviot Debating Hall Ceilidh – Edinburgh

    Teviot Debating Hall Ceilidh – Edinburgh

    Iron Broo ceilidh band in Edinburgh…
    We had a very exiting ceilidh recently at the Teviot Debating Hall in Edinburgh. We played for an international conference of scientists through Edinburgh University.  The band were treated as guests and invited to sit down to a fantastic four course meal before the ceilidh.  #howtofeedyourband
    Thanks to Barbara Mellone and Christine for inviting us.  We can’t wait until next time…

    Picture

    Iron Broo Ceilidh Band
    Picture

    Calling before the ceilidh dancing
    Picture

    Sound Checking before the gig
    Picture

    setting the stage before the ceilidh in Edinburgh.

  • Iron Broo’s Pizza Sessions Videos.

    Our Pizza Sessions – Live Ceilidh Music Videos

    It was the first of May 2017 and it was time for some more live ceilidh music video.  I had not long finished building the Pizza Oven, a dream that had been on my bucket list for a long time. A crazy dream that would scare most folk off as it was not an easy task but I wanted to make the real thing. I spread the work over 2 years, a slice at a time. It’s based on the ancient Pompeii design and built from bricks and mortar. I did use a few modern substitutes in the build process however it remains a concrete and brick oven built from scratch.  It cooks amazing food and not just pizza.  I invited the band over for a pizza party to celebrate the anniversary of the Liberation of Italy, a few days earlier and the completion of the oven works.  So, while the oven was getting up to temperature we decided to have a wee tune…

    ​You can see the videos and others on our ceilidh clips pages.
     
    http://charliespizzaoven.blogspot.co.uk/
     
    We are based in Aberdeen, Scotland.  In the video, it might look like we are in Italy but it was pretty cold when we filmed these. It was supposed to be spring and reasonably warm but the Scottish weather has never been known to pay any attention to details or expectations, it was only 8c.  Luckily sitting in front of the oven put out enough heat to keep us warm and stop the fingers freezing up completely.
     We tried an improv version of a tune I wrote that I thought came out pretty well, here it is..  If you like the videos please consider subscribing to my YouTube Channel. It’s free and you will get updates when I post new movies.

    Live ceilidh music videos

    A Fling Set
    Ronnie Watt’s 9th Dan – Original tune by Charlie Abel
    The Jaqueline Waltz and European Set.
    Gay Gordons
    The Dark Island

  • How to do a Grand March..

    Here is my attempt at an explanation of how to do the ‘Grand March’. A very popular choice for a first dance at a Scottish wedding. Particularly popular in the Northeast of Scotland and the Northern Isles.  Most Aberdonians, Orcadians and Shetlanders will start the wedding ceilidh with this one.  It’s great as it’s very easy and gets everyone up on the floor, setting the pace for the rest of the evening.
    No experience needed and it’s a good excuse to avoid the pressure of having to ‘perform’ a first dance as couple if you don’t dance very well.  Some people  have a Grand March and then have a special first dance as a couple right after, then after a good photo opportunity everyone else joins in…yipeee..
  • A night of Christmas cheers and unstoppable smiles.

    A night of Christmas cheers and unstoppable smiles.

    It really was a brilliant night.  The 2015 Iron Broo Christmas charirty ceilidh went with a swing at St. Margaret of Scotland’s Church hall at the Gallowgate, Aberdeen on Saturday the 19th of December.
    Keen ceilidh goers traded their winter blues for their dancing shoes in preparation for the Christmas holidays.  As promised it was a good old-fashioned Scottish evening where guests were invited to bring their own beverage and snacks and enjoy a ‘reel’ ceilidh.  Families and friends came and took part in the dancing, which knew no barriers to age with children, young people and the more experienced taking part.  All the dances were called and everyone was invited to join in.  Nobody was left a stranger by the end of the night.
    The raffle and a “win the whisky game” were held to raise money for “Charlie House” a local Aberdeen children’s charity.
    Iron Broo would like to thank The Devenick Dairy who donated a “Big Beast” Christmas hamper, full of cheeses and goodies and Makro Aberdeen for donating a bottle of malt whisky for our whisky game.  A respectable £173 was raised for Charlie House.
    Congratulations to Lydia Van Beers for winning the Devenick Dairy ‘Big Beast’ hamper and to Jonathan Scott for winning the Makro Whisky game with a bottle of Old Pulteney 12 years old.

    “Everyone who came tonight had a fantastic time. You can’t beat a ceilidh in a wee hall for a friendly welcoming atmosphere.  It’s a really great low-cost night out for anyone. Especially welcome at this time of year. Everyone is smiling.”
    Charlie Abel (accordionist & band leader –Iron Broo)

    The ceilidh at St. Margaret’s  was the second performance for Iron Broo on this particular day having entertained an appreciative lunchtime crowd at the winter wonderland festival on Union Terrace.  The next public ceilidhs from Iron Broo are being planned already.

    (Above) Lydia Van Beers from Holland wind the “Big Beast” Cheese hamper from the Devenick Dairy.
    (Below) Jonathon scott wins the bottle of malt whisky donated by Makro Aberdeen. Old Pulteney 12yrs.

    Ceilidh Video Clip

Richard Minton
2 weeks ago
Had a great nights entertainment with Iron Broo, great ceilidh and then some floor fillers with the disco.
Response from the owner:Thanks Richard, we had a great time, hope to see you both again sometime
Ellen Caiger-Cummins
4 months ago
We had the honour of the Iron Broo ceilidh band perform at our wedding on 16th May, they were outstanding. Talented, organised and such a lovely bunch of guys
Response from the owner:Thanks Ellen, we really enjoyed playing for you. Such a lovely evening. And thanks for your kind hospitality. All the best 👍
Andrew Turner
12 months ago
We hired Iron Broo to play our ceilidh at a party to celebrate our recent marriage. The band were great, played a good variety of ceilidh tunes, called the dances and incorporated some impressive rhythmic vocals alongside playing. All the guest had a great time and enjoyed the ceilidh - thanks a lot!
Adam Barrie
1 year ago
We booked Iron Broo Ceilidh Band for our wedding in July 2025 and had a fantastic evening with them. The band were highly experienced and helped everyone get involved in the dancing. I would highly recommend them for any Ceilidh event.
Aylwin Pillai
1 year ago
Iron Broo played for our very first wedding at Kinclune House & Estate in our brand new wedding barn. Iron Broo were absolutely brilliant! The wedding party were up and dancing all night. Half of them were not Scottish, so Charlie did a great job of calling so that everyone could join in. I can't recommend Iron Broo highly enough if you're planning a wedding or special celebration!
Response from the owner:Thanks Aylwin, it was an honour to be your first band! We look forward to the next time, the new venue is amazing and the staff were so kind and attentive. Everyone was raving about the place. I'm sure you are going to be busy! All the best, Charlie
Jac Balden
2 years ago
Iron Broo recently played a ceilidh and disco for our wedding. Charlie was easy to deal and answered all our questions very quickly. Both the ceilidh and the disco were very well received with the guests of our wedding complementing the band and the music.
Amy Abel
2 years ago
We booked Iron Broo for our wedding at Mar Lodge in Braemar in July and they were fantastic! We had a very international group with about half the guests having travelled from New Zealand and Charlie was great at calling the dances and everyone had a a lot of fun, even the teenagers loved it! Thanks Iron Broo!
Response from the owner:Thanks Amy. Great fun playing for you and really nice to meet more of the Abel clan 👍
Jenna
3 years ago
We hired the Iron Broo duo for a charity ceilidh in February 2024 and they had everyone up on their feet until the very end! Thank you so much for a fantastic evening with your band - lots of classics and few special twists which made for a super fun evening. Would definitely recommend Iron Broo and hire again in the future!
Response from the owner:Thanks very much Jenna, it was great fun to play for you! All the best, Charlie
Keri Bailie
3 years ago
Iron Broo played at our wedding ceilidh, playing an array of instruments and gave instructions for each dance. Excellent band who were very flexible, cheerful and skilled. Highly recommended.
Response from the owner:Thanks Keri, much appreciated. We had a great time and enjoyed every minute, it was a pleasure to be a part of your special day.
alex bruce
3 years ago
The Iron Broo Duo threw us a fantastic party to celebrate our wedding in September. They happily accommodated some very last minute changes and executed a little surprise absolutely perfectly! They had a great sense of humour when some of the dances didn't go to plan (no fault of the band, entirely the fault of the beer!) and soon had us back on track. A brilliant band to hire if you want to have lots and lots of fun!
Peter Lancaster
3 years ago
From the moment we started to plan our wedding, we knew we wanted Iron Broo! With my wife having attended a few of their ceilidhs in the past, she told me that Iron Broo were the best ceilidh band she'd ever seen. Of course at first, with our wedding being my first ceilidh, I was a little bit nervous but I trusted her with this and I can say I am truly glad that I did. We couldn't have asked for anything more, the music and dancing was incredible (as per usual). Many of our guests had also never attended a ceilidh before, but they made the process of learning all the steps easy and everyone ended up having an amazing time (myself included. ) They were also extremely accommodating, able to play a requested song for our first dance with less than a weeks notice! Thank you so much Iron Broo! It was a pleasure to have you at our wedding and we will be sure to catch you at future events.
Response from the owner:Thanks Peter, it was a pleasure to play for your special day. We had a great time and everyone was wonderful. See you soon, Charlie 👍
Paul Mckee
3 years ago
They recently played at our wedding on 4th November 23 and were fantastic! A lot of guests had never been to a ceilidh before and they all really enjoyed it, especially the kids! We highly recommend Iron Broo!
Jenna Forrest
3 years ago
We hired the Iron Broo duo for a corporate ceilidh and they had everyone up on their feet until the very end! Thank you so much Charlie for performing for us - everyone had a fantastic evening with your band. Would definitely recommend Iron Broo and hire again in the future!
Response from the owner:Thanks Jenna, for a lovely review and we had great fun playing for you. Hope to see you again soon 👍
Helen Shiach
3 years ago
Iron Broo are well worth hiring for a special celebration. Great musicians who know how to get everyone involved. Caller ensured everyone knew what to do and they were happy to keep it fast & furious when no one knew how to waltz! If you are thinking of having a ceilidh I would highly recommend hiring them.
Response from the owner:Thanks Helen, much appreciated. We had a great time playing for you 😄 All the best 👍
Ian & Kathy Davy
3 years ago
Iron Broo played at our family and friends ceilidh in July. It was a two piece band - talented musicians who played in varying styles. Iron Broo chose the dances - a mix of traditional and new ceilidh dances. The explanations of the dances were very clear. Many of our guests commented on how good Iron Broo were. We would definitely recommend them.
Response from the owner:Thanks Ian & Kathy, we loved playing for you! It was a pleasure, your family and friends were great fun. All the best 🪗😊
Cathy Davidson
3 years ago
Iron Broo made a perfect day even better, they had everyone up dancing and mixing, from 3 year olds upwards. Guests who had never been to a ceilidh before had the best time and plenty of laughs trying to get the moves right. We highly recommend them to get the party started
Response from the owner:Thanks Cathy 👍 we had a great time. Much appreciated
Robin Johnson
3 years ago
Hired for ceilidh at Wedding, very accomodating and friendly. Played a requested tune for our first dance. Called/instructed on the dances which was very necessary and useful for people unfamiliar. Flexible on day when time for break and end called. Hired 4 players including a fiddle and sounded great! Had heard play before, and look forward to hearing again.
Response from the owner:Thanks Robin and Chen, it was ace fun playing for you both 👍 all the best ❤️
Chantal Gluting
4 years ago
They came all the way to Luxembourg to do a ceilidh with our Year 8 students and it was simply fantastic! They really motivated our students to take part in the dancing and the students ended up loving it! Thank you so much again! It was a great event!
David Márquez
4 years ago
They are very very good musicians who are masters of their style, but please understand they are not a versatile band and I am sure that is why they are the cream of the cream of ceilidh, however Charlie really takes advantage of his disco choice to make the night round. He adapted to my needs and I am happy to have decided to hire his services.
Response from the owner:Thanks David, it was great to play for you and I really enjoyed the Venezuelan music “crazy hour” 👍🎶
Juliet Buchan
4 years ago
The best Ceilidh band ever, our whole wedding was jumping from start to finish. My English relatives couldn't get enough of the dancing and were guided so well. Thoroughly recommend Charlie Abel and all of his brilliant 5 piece band.
Response from the owner:Thanks Juliet, it was a pleasure to be a part of your special day. It was great fun with excellent company. 🎶🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍🥰
Alistair Moore
4 years ago
Great set and game for a fantastic scout ceilidh
Annette McArthur
4 years ago
The band (two piece) were absolutely brilliant. They were all set up in good time and the music was fantastic. Charlie called the dances where needed - everyone had an absolute ball! Thanks a million.
Response from the owner:Thanks Annette, it was great fun. A super audience to play for. I hope we can play for you again sometime, any excuse for a Ceilidh 🎶👍🪗🎶🙏🏼
Kaitlyn Williamson
4 years ago
Amazing wedding band!! Played both a ceilidh set and disco afterparty. Listened to all my crazy plans and created an awesome evening for all my guests. Super value for money and really easy to communicate with.
Response from the owner:Thanks Kaitlyn! We had a great time, your guests were ace fun to play for! All the best, Charlie
Sarah Sophie
4 years ago
absolutely amazing!! the dances and the music of the duo was the best and we loved every minute of the time we had! They were also the nicest people ever
Response from the owner:Thanks 😊 so glad you enjoyed it, thanks for a lovely review 👍🤩
Chrissie Grant
4 years ago
We were lucky enough to have Iron Broo play for us at our wedding, where half the guests were Scottish and experienced ceilidh and reeling dancers and the other half were German and had no idea what was going on! The fact that Iron Broo got EVERYONE on the dance floor and partaking enthusiastically in both Scottish and German dances is a testament to their legendary music and DJ'ing! The evening simply wouldn't have been the same without them. Thank you so much Iron Broo for making our multi-national wedding such a cracking party!
Response from the owner:Thanks Chrissie, it was a pleasure to play for you, everybody was so keen to dance. The German Knoten disco was also such fun. Please let us know if we can help you again. We have played in Germany before, quite a few times for weddings. If you can find another excuse for a ceilidh.... :-)