Takes me back over 50 years ago when they came to our village hall twice a yearand they gave us some excellient never to be forgotten music Thank you for the video
"Siamsa Beirte" is a dance by Sian and Una Farrell and can be danced to any suitable hornpipe tune. This tune was poularised by Jimmy Shand who had a top 20 hit with it in 1955. It is at least 40 years older than that and also called 'Let Pet(Caledonian Polka)'.
Peggy Keogh (nee McGarr) (my Granny) founded the Gallowglass. She has always been and remains an inspiration to me. Im most grateful to her for the gift of music she passed down to my mum and ultimately me. The Gallowglass Ceili Band played to more than 3 million people in their 40-year career. Actually their final gig was a concert in the National Concert Hall (1995) - a complete sell-out. Last time she played the violin was in 2004 to 60ish patients at a nursing home where she was resting.
The Gallowglass band played at concerts and dances in my home town of Aboyne in the seventies Paddy,Jimmy Peggy Brendan Breen on button key accordion,they were good days. Well remembered Robbie Shepherd compered the concerts.
Fair enough but a lot of people don't realise that playing music for Scottish or Irish dancing takes a lot of concentration, most dancers wouldn't take any notice if you had an epilectic seizure on stage but they will soon say something if you get the barring or tempo wrong, a band has to know how many bars for each part of the dance, what tempo is required, remember how the next tune starts, start and finish together and practise their arse off, this is not condusive to smiling, everybody thinks it's easy till they try it.
@@1950accordionman : Very hypocritical, Swinhoe...you've changed your tune..."By the looks on their faces they are all on death row, not a damn smile to be seen".. by Vivian Swinhoe.
What a lovely video ,superb dancing by the youngsters,and nice tempo. Wish someone in the band would smile.(Not the saxophonist.) The children look very at ease.and very smart.excellent in fact. Well done. Happy new year to all'in shot'.
this is the tune I'm learning on the accordion, thanks for posting this so I'll get it right! My sister will join me on the fiddle when she comes over from the U.K.
The last time they played together was actually in the National Concert Hall in May 1998 a number of years after this recording. Yes Mrs Keogh is still in a nursing home.
Look at these people - they are having a great time and enjoying themselves... Sooo sad..... no-one seems to enjoy themselves anymore... Bring back the old days when people gathered together in their homes and ceiiegd... please excuse the Irish mis-spelling.. I hope someone may instruct an old English speaker. 😊
That's the sound of an old, "classic" horn. Different metallurgy and maybe slightly narrower bore than modern horns, definitely an older type of mouthpiece (wide and short as opposed to the modern long and narrow). It almost sounds like C-melody but I think it's still a Bb tenor.
For your info this was the last time they played together they all got together for one last reunion.The leader Pat Mcgarr is now dead and the lady Peggy Keogh is/was in a nursing home last i heard!
This is true, judge any musician by the way they sound, I don't think anybody fully understands music but perhaps that's what makes it so good, flashing lights, drugs, and 5000 watt amplifiers don't make music.
Peter do a google search for Gallowglass. there is a page there with a few more of their stuff and more info. Wont let me put the page up, I had to remover the link.
great but they all look as if they are about to be shot after the dance even the band look in pain is this in the days when you were not allowed to smile
It's hard work playing this kind of music, a lot of orchestral players can't do it, I have often thought as an accordionist (not that I will ever master the art so to speak) how tiring it was to play a set number of dances constantly for a couple of hours, that's a huge amount of music, usually at least three different tunes or more for each dance plus some incidental music while others have their whisky, cup of tea or whatever, musicians are a very under estimated bunch.
I couldn't agree more. The crap that is coming out today makes me cringe. Thankfully I am playing sax in a Soul type band, that play lots of the old style music.. Boy Bands? why are they called Boy Bands, they have the best musicians available on backing tracks, and I cant name one that can play any instrument,,,,,,,
