The Magogs Ceilidh/Barn Dance Band, Cambridge (UK)

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.

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.

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!