What We Do
We mostly play for ceilidh or barn dances
(Irish spelling ceili, sometimes mispelt kaylee, caylee
or ceilih). We
usually provide a caller who instructs how to do the dances, but we
can just play folk music (mainly Irish/Scottish) if preferred. We
typically cover events such as:
- weddings
- birthdays
- Burns nights
- college/university parties and formals
- balls - May balls, Summer balls etc.
- 6th form parties/parent teacher association parties
- charity fund raisers (at a discounted rate)
- christmas parties
- reunions
We draw upon the talents of a group of
fabulous
musicians in the Cambridge area who love what they do. Depending on the
musicians
available we use various instruments:
- button accordion (melodeon)
- fiddle
- guitar
- bodhran (percussion)
- flute, whistle
- concertina
- harp
- pipes
- banjo
We supply all equipment required and have
excellent callers to instruct how to to the dances. Our callers
have many years of experience and have a knack in getting people up
to dance. They are well versed in a wide range of Scottish, Irish
and English traditional ceilidh dances including:
- Strip the Willow
- Virginia Reel
- Cumberland Square Eights
- Dashing White Sergeant
- Gay Gordons
- Sweets of May
- Blaydon Races
- Circassian Circle
- Bridges Of Athlone
A small number of our dances are also suitable
for children.
Places We've Played
We've played in all sorts of venues around
Cambridge including village halls, University college venues and
hotels:
- Colleges - Kings,St Johns,Pembroke, Girton, Wolfson, Darwin
- Longstowe Hall
- South Farm
- Preston Priory Barn, Suffolk
- Chrishall Grange
- Duxford Officer's Mess
- Chilford Hall
- University Centre (grad pad)
- University Arms Hotel
- St Andrew's Church
- Shelford Rugby Club
- Hardwick Village Hall
- Cambridge Folk Festival
- Swynford Paddocks
- Milton Country Park
A Few Tips
Consider the following while organizing your
ceilidh:
- Space - Try and pick a venue with plenty
of
space for the dancing (depends on number of guests but a nice size
is 7m by 10m). For a 4 piece band we need about 5m by 1m for the
band members to sit.
- Wooden floor - Hard wooden floors are best
for
dancing. For marquee events try and get as level a floor as
possible for safety reasons.
- Timing - Leave plenty of time for speeches
to
overrun etc before you plan the ceilidh to start. Also allow time
if tables have to be moved to make space for the dancing.
- Disco/DJs - If there's a DJ before/after
the
ceilidh allow space for both sets of equipment.
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What People Say About The Magogs
We wanted something a
little
different for our wedding. Magogs were personally recommended to
us, and we have no hesitation in recommending them to you. We had
great fun, and look back on the ceilidh with happy memories and
laughter. The music was brilliant, and the marvellous calling meant
that everyone could get involved, which was what we wanted. A
perfect finale to a wonderful day. 
Elly and Julian, Waterbeach
We were keen to do
something
'out of the ordinary' this year for our Christmas Party and came up
with the idea of a Ceilidh. The party was held on a very cold night
in December but the Magogs soon got everybody going with their
lively brand of music and helped to keep everyone warm! The music
was excellent as was the caller who managed to persuade many of our
more reluctant employees to join in a dance or two. By the end of
the Ceilidh it seemed that practically everyone was on the dance
floor and having a great time! I would certainly have no hesitation
in recommending the Magogs for any entertainment event and I hope
we can use them again in the future. 
Catriona Nicol, HR Advisor
Thanks very much for a
great
evening. Everyone had a brilliant night, and we all have the
bruises to prove it! Please pass on my thanks to the rest of your
band members. 
Laura, Hemingford Abbots (surprise 40th birthday
party)
We used the Magogs for our Summer ball
and the staff and students ceilidh'd together until the small
hours. The music was great and the caller was very helpful. It
added a different dimension to our party and proved to be lots of
fun for both young and old! 
Cambridge Centre For Sixth Form Studies, www.ccss.co.uk
Thank you all very much for the great
music at our 18th birthday ceilidh - it made the evening very
special, and it was also huge fun - the atmosphere was great, and
the dancing was brilliantly led by the caller. Thank you all very
much! 
Emily, Joanne & Laurie (Hardwick).
Samples Of Our Music
If you like try the snippets as these are smaller and will
load faster, but don't include the whole tune.
Title |
MP3 |
MP3 snippet |
Shetland Reels: Jack Broke Da Prison
Door;
Donald Blue; Sleep Soond Ida Mornin' |
2.41MB |
|
March & Reel: Battle Of Aughrim;
Humours
Of Tulla |
2.53MB |
424KB |
Irish Jigs: Will You Come Home With Me? |
2.74MB |
471KB |
Shetland Waltzes: Margaret's; The
Newly
Weds |
4.34MB |
424KB |
Polkas: Ballydesmond's; Egan's |
2.78MB |
565KB |
Reels In The Kitchen: Red Haired Lass |
4.02MB |
364KB |
Next Steps
If you have an event in mind please request
a quote for
prices/availability. We would be happy to discuss any particular
requirements regarding the event. However, we will only travel up
to 60 miles from Cambridge.
We NEVER cancel once we've
committed.
We require approximately 30-45 minutes set up
time and usually play for about 3 hours for most gigs (with a 1/2 hour
break in the middle). We can set
up the equipment in the background while an event is taking place
if necessary, although of course we always take care not to cause
any disruption to speeches etc.
We hope to hear from you soon! |