Ceilidh away the start of the Christmas holidays with friends and family at the Iron Broo Christmas Ceilidh 2015. This fantastic festive ceilidh will take place at the St. Margaret’s of Scotland Church hall on the Gallowgate, Aberdeen. (opposite the Blue Lamp) It’s bring your own bottle as there is no public bar and there will be no food, so if you need a snack or some energy for the dancing bring your own treats. But remember, Santa could be watching so be on your best behavior!
Doors open 6.30pm starting around 7pm. Finishing at 11pm. Space is limited. Tickets available in advance £10
Call Charlie on 07802 861390 or 01224 874570 Email charlieabel@ironbroo.scot.
In July 2013 I travelled to Trapani, Sicily, to perform as the Iron Broo One Man Ceilidh Band at a Scottish-Sicilian wedding.
It was a great example of why the solo ceilidh setup works so well for destination weddings: only one musician needs to travel, while guests still get live accordion, full dance calling and a proper Scottish ceilidh.
I had a fantastic time in Sicily back in July as the One Man Ceilidh Band for a Scottish/Sicilian wedding. Sicily really impressed me. The people are really nice and the food is fantastic. I never once had a bad wine! The white in particular is fantastic. Landing in Palermo for a few nights then to Trapani for the wedding. The traffic in Palermo is amazing. If you can drive there (and survive), you can drive anywhere!
How to load your lorry – Palermo style
Palermo
Trapani is much quieter than Palermo and has a busy fishing port. Beautiful yellow sandstone buildings surrounded by stunning landscapes and blue sea. If you’ve ever seen ‘Inspector Monatalbano’ on the TV, you’ll know what I mean. I can’t wait to go back.
A Scottish-Sicilian Wedding Ceilidh in Trapani
The wedding in Trapani was a sight to be seen. The hotel had a swimming pool that was also used as a harbour for small boats. The wedding reception and meal was held in the evening at the hotel, round this ‘harbour’. The meal ran late which was expected. I lost count on how many courses there were. I think we ate for 5 hours. Pastas, fish, seafood, caponata, all delicious. I wasn’t able to indulge in the wine because I had to play after. I was expected to start around 10.30pm but it was 2.45am before we got started. The calling was interesting with a few overly lubricated Scottish people assuring me they were experts in ceilidh dancing only happy to offer their assistance over the microphone while I was already speaking. It was very funny! I’m sure there were more than a few sore heids the next day.
Made good friends with the piper and the DJ. The piper was from Palermo and loved the sound of the Scottish bagpipes so much he decided to take them up after hearing them on Italian radio. He was very good. Gianluigi Fanzone is his name in case you need a piper in Sicily. gianluigifanzone@tiscali.it
Piper – Gianluigi Fanzone
Discussing Ceilidh tactics
Setting up with Dj Enzo
DJ Enzo Monreale kept everyone entertained till about 8am after the ceilidh. He is a natural DJ with a feel and passion for what he does. I’d highly recommend his services in Sicily. A true professional and a real gentleman.
Taking a Scottish Ceilidh Abroad
Destination weddings often involve guests from different countries and very different levels of ceilidh experience. Because every dance is called and explained, everyone can join in.
The One Man Ceilidh Band is particularly practical for overseas weddings because flights, accommodation and local transport are much simpler than travelling with a full band. Where necessary, Charlie can also work with suitable PA equipment provided by the venue or a local production company.
After the wedding we traveled around a little in the area, Erice, Marsala Salt flats and went sea angling and had a trip to the Egadi Islands and Favignana. Stunning. We caught lots of small fish and went to head out for some Tuna or some big game fish. I did see a sword fish jump in the water not far from the boat but we had little luck. I did get something big at one point but it broke the line and got away. I’ll have to get him next time. It was difficult to find a charter for fishing in Sicily. I wanted to catch a big Swordfish or a Tuna or perhaps a Grouper. None of the tourist offices seemed to know that anyone did it, everything was geared up for dolphin spotting or island tours. This will save you the trouble of looking in case you pick this up on Google. This is Andrea’s website….
I swam here
This beach is down the end of a road to the North of Trapani. You need to walk a few K’s to get there. It’s well worth it though. It’s part of a nature reserve next to an old Tonnara (Tuna) factory.
I am looking forward to going back.
Planning a Destination Wedding Ceilidh?
Iron Broo can provide Scottish ceilidh entertainment for weddings and events in Scotland and abroad. For destination weddings, the One Man Ceilidh Band can be a particularly flexible and economical option.
