If you want an evocative melody to transport you away to the distant shores of Kerry or Sligo, or if you’re looking for a distinctive musical texture to bring with it that signature taste of Gaelic soul, then this ensemble of young talented Irish musicians based in London will be absolutely perfect. With Celtic ardour in their music – and in some cases in their blood – each member traces their musical personality back to a deep-rooted appreciation of traditional Irish culture.
“With a traditional Irish sound as true as their name suggests, Maximum Ceili are sublime…”
Beginning with an insistent rhythmic and harmonic framework set up on acoustic guitar or bouzouki, and pairing this with the elevated melodic tones of fiddle and flute or whistle, the pulsating backbone driving the music forward is finally established with the heartbeat percussion of a hand-drum, the iconic Irish bodhrán. Maximum Ceili’s appeal lies in their stylistic authenticity coupled with the technical accomplishment and sheer excitement of their performance.
No Irish ceili would be complete without dancing ‘The Siege Of Ennis’ and ‘The Bridge Of Athlone’. Don’t worry if some of your guests have never attempted ceili-dancing before. The band brings along an experienced specialist dance-caller, who will walk your guests through the dances and call out the moves when the music strikes up. Before you know it, the dancefloor will be full of people laughing and joking and joining in the fun. A four-piece band comprises three musicians plus the caller, and for larger events Maximum Ceili can augment to a five-piece with an additional musician. The band brings along a high-quality PA system that will give an excellent sound in venues of any size.
If you’re looking for superbly crafted Irish instrumental music as background music for a corporate event or party, Maximum Ceili can provide any combination of musicians from a duo to a quartet to perform an enticing mix of traditional Irish airs, melodies, jigs, polkas and reels. Please ring or email for a quote for this bespoke service.
- Talented, versatile and experienced Irish musicians
- Instrumental group ideal for a variety of social events
- Ceili-caller included to help organise traditional dances
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To accompany traditional dances, Maximum Ceili draw on the incomparably rich Irish and other Gaelic repertoire of reels, jigs, polkas and hornpipes.
Traditional Ceili Dances
- Auld Lang Syne
- Bridge Of Athlone
- Canadian Barndance
- Circassian Circle
- Cumberland Reel
- Cumberland Square Eight
- Dashing White Sergeant
- Flying Scotsman
- Lucky Seven
- Military Two-Step
- Nottingham Swing
- Orcadian Strip The Willow
- OXO Reel
- Phil’s Reel
- Quarnden Hill
- Rosza Waltz
- St Bernard’s Waltz
- Strip The Willow
- The Barley Reel
- The Gay Gordons
- The Sausage Machine
- The Siege Of Ennis
- The Square Set
- The Walls Of Limerick
- The Yarmouth Long Dance
- Virginia Reel
- Witch Reel
Zoe Parish’s University Mixer –
Maximum Ceili were brilliant. They came to a ‘start of term mixer’ for our university and the music was fantastic. The band members were incredibly professional, all arrived on time and played their sets at exactly the right time and finished on time. Most importantly everyone loved them and the dance floor was full from the first song! It was such a big success, we are going to do the same thing next year and hopefully Maximum Ceili can come back and join us.
Tourism Ireland –
Tourism Ireland would like to thank Tad and all the members of Maximum Ceili for their superb performances at recent Tourism Ireland events. Maximum Ceili are a pleasure to work with, talented musicians and take a professional approach to their work.