Iron Broo Ceilidh Band

Blog

  • Archie Foundation Fundraiser – Aberdeen Beach Ballroom

    Hi Folks, A great fundraising ceilidh for the ARCHIE FOUNDATION coming at the Beach Ballroom on 25th March with Iron Broo. An iconic Aberdeen venue with masses of space for dancing. Stovies included, freshly made by the wonderful Chef at the ballroom.

    OPEN TO ALL FAMILY AND FRIENDS!

    Contact Caroline.robb@taqaglobal.com or angie.stein@taqaglobal.com

  • The Lover’s Waltz

    ​This lovely waltz was written by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason.  We were asked to play it for a first dance for a wedding in 2016. It stuck with us. Here we played it just before a ceilidh during the sound check so it’s a wee bit rough in places but we hope it does the tune some justice.

  • Christmas Ceilidh 23rd December 2016

    Iron Broo will be hosting the Christmas ceilidh this year at the wonderful Carmelite Hotel in the centre of Aberdeen on mad Friday 23rd December.
    Please come along and get away from the wrong kind of madness and help us raise funds to help local people who are down on their luck this Christmas. Our target is to raise £500 to help the Cyrenians in their good work to provide for the homeless and hungry in Aberdeen this Christmas.  It is an outrage that in the oil rich city of Aberdeen, so many people have been left stranded, dry and hungry… it’s not just this Christmas.  This is a problem that is growing and is reaching through our society and it knows no boundaries of class. In this time of austerity when good charities like the Cyrenians are facing their biggest challenge, their funding is being cut. This is the wrong kind of madness.
    Please come along and push us over our target and help dance the madness away…for a while.
    Tickets are £20 including a Stovie or Macaroni dinner at half time.  Doors open from 7.30, ceilidh will kick off at 8pm till midnight, bar will be open later.
    Please buy your tickets in advance from charlieabel@ironbroo.scot  (07802 861390) it saves us having to find extra people to man the doors and take money when we need to be playing.  We also need numbers for the chef!

    We will have a raffle so if you can bring any donations it would be most welcome.

    Aberdeen Cyrenians began in 1968 as a soup kitchen run in the city’s Castlegate.  Organised by students from Aberdeen University, this service provided basic food to a growing number of people.  It became increasingly obvious that there was a high demand for further support services and eventually a night shelter was opened.

    Over the next four decades Aberdeen Cyrenians opened the first ever wet hostel in Britain, the first Women’s hostel in Aberdeen, day centres, emergency accommodation for young people, medium-term accommodation for young and old, community & housing support services and an employment and education service.  An estimated 50,000 homeless people or people at risk of homelessness have been supported by Aberdeen Cyrenians over the past 48 years.
    Cyrenians support comes in many forms and in 2015 included:

    • 10585 nights of residential accommodation care
    • 4781 Drop In appointments
    • 3621 hot meals eaten
    • 564 showers for rough sleepers
    • 243 sleeping bags handed out

    There has been a dramatic rise in these numbers for 2016 as more people affected by family issues, job losses and high living costs come to us for help.
    As you begin to plan your Christmas with family and friends please take a moment to think about those in our community who have no home to go to this festive season, those who will not see their family and friends, and those who will spend their Christmas Day with Aberdeen Cyrenians.

  • Thank you letter

    A pleasant surprise in today’s post.  Always nice to get a thank you letter.

  • New tune composed

    I wrote a tune for Albert Thomson of Inverurie for his retirement.
    ‘Albert Thomson, Armiger, Knight and Samurai’
    I’m hoping folk will pick it up and slip it in at a few ceilidhs. So one day I can retire as well 😉

  • 29th July 2016 Charity Ceilidh

    Iron Broo will be playing at the Aberdeen Beach Ballroom for a great Charity Fundraiser ceilidh in aid of CLAN and Parkinson’s UK.
    This promises to be a great evening of ceilidh and we know from past experience the Stovies in the Beach Ballroom are fantastic! The Ballroom is a fantastic venue for a ceilidh.
    See you there!!!

  • 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..

  • Ceilidh for Kenya – 9th March 2016 – Aberdeen

    A great chance for a great evening of ceilidh in Aberdeen on Wednesday the 9th of March at Aberdeen University.  Raising money for a Kenyan Primary School.

    See https://www.facebook.com/events/1710627222515236/

    Global Minorities Alliance Society is happy to announce our fundraising event, ‘Ceilidh for Kenya’. We are extremely excited to support and contribute to the building of a library for the primary school children in Kibera slum in Nairobi.

    Along with Scottish Ceilidh and African theme night we will celebrate diversity at our campus!

    All the money collected from tickets will go towards the GMA funds to purchase books, tables, chairs, shelves and computers for a primary school library so children can get access to the books when they need it.

    LOCATION: THE MISSION (next to Edward Wright Building, on the corner of Dunbar Street and St.

    Tickets: £6 at the door, OR £5 if you reserve your ticket by commenting on this page! 🙂

    Ticket includes entry and FREE FOOD!!!!!
    All proceeds go towards the GMA funds for the library project.

    Come along to our fun dance gig with live music, and enjoy some food and beverages! See you all there 🙂

  • Iron Broo with Alex Salmond

    A new member joins us on Banjo for Burns night.

    It was a pleasure to meet Alex Salmond again, he’s a singer too.  It’s good job he didn’t play the fiddle or the press would be all over it!
    He’s pretty busy with other things at the moment so I’m not sure he’ll have time to join us every gig. So please don’t be disappointed if you book us and he’s not in our line up.  Maybe after Scotland gets it’s Independence he’ll have more time. 😉

  • Iron Broo on Sky News

    We are on Sky news today.

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
11 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.... :-)