Ceilidh band

Aluinn Ceilidh Band

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About Aluinn Ceilidh Band

Top-class Ceilidh / Barndance band based in Northern England. Aluinn play an exciting mix of Scottish, Irish, English and American jigs
Ceilidh band
Leeds
Public liability insurance of £10 million
Verified profile

Aluinn was formed in 2011 and comprises some of the best folk players in the UK. The sound of the band combines driving, infectious rhythms with a rich melodic and harmonic knowledge drawing from the four corners of the British Isles. Over the past 10+ years, they have played at all of the top wedding venues in Yorkshire and beyond and have built up a strong reputation as one of the best Ceilidh bands around. Their combination of first-class musicianship, ultra-professional attitude, clear dance instructions and relaxed, friendly demeanour has made them a hit a many weddings, parties and corporate events across the north of England. Want to know what previous clients have said about us? Check out our Reviews and the video testimonials on our Encore profile. If you'd like to book us, then please click on the "Check availability" or "Message" buttons at the top of the page for more information.

Encore badges
Lightning fast responses
Average response time under 2 hours
Saved the day!
Booked for an Encore gig with less than 24 hours’ notice
7th Anniversary
This act has been working with Encore for over 7 years
25 gigs
Pro: 25 bookings through Encore
Musicianship
Genres:
Ceilidh, Classical, Folk, Traditional Scottish folk, Traditional Irish folk, Traditional English folk, Jazz
See all genres
Event types:
Wedding, Hotel / Restaurant event, Bar / Club / Venue event, Private event, Corporate event, Charity event, Burns night, Birthday party, Christmas party
See all event types

Aluinn Ceilidh Band's Song list

Here is our overall repertoire of dances from which we compile the set list for each event we play for. It includes everything from relaxed couple dances to high-energy group ones. We tailor-pick our sets to suit the size of the venue, the experience of the dancers and the preferences of our clients. With reasonable notice, we are also happy to accept requests for dances not listed here.
Big Circle Mixer
Boston 2-step
Bridge Of Athlone
Canadian Barn Dance
Clopton Bridge
Circassian Circle
Cumberland Reel
Dashing White Sargeant
Eight-some Reel
Family circle waltz
Flying Scotsman
Free-style Waltz
Gay Gordens
Highland Scottische
Heel-toe Polka
Military Two-step
Orcadian strip the willow
Seige of Ennis
St. Bernard's Waltz
Strip The Willow
Swedish masquerade
Virginia Reel
Waves of Tory
DUO REPERTOIRE
• Classical:
Minuet, Boccherini
Romance (from Eine Kleine Nacht Music), Mozart
Autumn (from the Four Seasons), Vivaldi
Spring (from the Four Seasons), Vivaldi
Canon, Pachelbel
Water music, Handel
Ave Maria, Bach
Ave Maria, Shubert
The Swan, Saint-Saens
Apres Une Reve, Faure
• Jazz:
Ain’t Misbehaven’
Let’s fall in love
Autumn Leaves
If I were a bell
What a difference a day makes
Bye, bye Blackbird
Someday my prince will come
Honey Suckle Rose
I’ve never been in love before
Do nothing ’till you hear from me
All of me
• Folk:
Slochit Light
The Music o’ Spey
Farquar & Hetty’s Waltz
Inisheer/St. Margarets Waltz
Ross Memorial Hospital
Skye boat song
Irish Rover
Customer questions

Can you perform covers?

We'll happily learn a first dance if it suits our folky instrumentation (acoustic guitar, fiddle, accordion & percussion). If you want a full-on pop/soul/rock covers band, then check out our sister band The Definitives (also on Encore) also run by bandleader Aly. He offers a £100 dual-booking discount if both bands are booked for the same event.

Do you have different line-up options?

Yes, our full band is the 4-piece; perc/caller, guitar fiddle and accordion. We also go out as a 3-piece; as above but fiddle or accordion. See the prices page for details.

What if my timings change after I've booked you?

Let us know if you would like a significantly earlier start to your event as we may have prior commitments earlier in the day. Don't worry though if timings slightly move throughout the evening, as we know that it is hard to keep everything to an exact schedule, particularly at weddings. Other than a fixed 12am finish, we don't mind exactly when we perform.

Can you provide an iPod/DJ service before and between your sets?

You are welcome to play your own playlist through our speakers for the first dance and between our sets. We provide the connecting cable from an iPod/mobile etc. If you would like the use of our speakers beyond our standard 2x1hr sets, you can hire the use of them for £75 p/hr. We also hire out 2 sets of disco lights for a flat fee of £63 for the evening.

How much time do you need to set up?

We usually give ourselves 1 hour from the point we arrive at a venue to load in, set up and sound check. Only the last 15 mins of this hour involves us making any noise. We are happy to quietly load in and set up whilst wedding speeches are taking place if this helps with the flow of the day. We can liase with the venue to arrange loading in.

Do you provide a caller?

Band leader Aly calls as well as plays percussion so this is included in our fee; why pay extra for a separate caller! He teaches each dance slowly and clearly, he then does a faster walk-through without the band and finally does the dance with music. No prior ceilidh experience is necessary to fully participate in the evening. Just enthusiasm required!

Can I pick the songs you play from the set list?

Let us know if you have any particular favourite dances and we'll be sure to include them. In a one hour set we'll play roughly 4/5 dances depending on how long it takes people to get onto the floor for each dance.

Is all of the equipment (e.g. PA) included in your quote?

Yes! We are fully self-sufficient. We bring our own speakers, mixing desk, microphones etc. All plugs etc are PAT tested annually and we have public liability through the Musician's Union. We can happily set up around a DJ if necessary although we do require a floor space of approximately 4m across by 3m deep.

Can you learn song requests before the event?

With at least two weeks notice, we'll happily learn and perform a dance which is not currently on our set list. Remember that many of your guests may be ceilidh novices, so keep the requests fairly simple for their sake!

What do your clients love most about your performances?

Previous client testimonials (of which we have many!) have mentioned the clarity of the calling, the very high standard of musicianship, the sense of fun and the easy communication with bandleader Aly from the first point of contact through to the event itself.

Which venues have you performed at in the past?

We're about to enter our 9th year at the point of writing this so we've played at literally hundreds of venues all across the North of England. These include: East Riddlesden Hall, The Hospitium, Rise Hall, Carlton Towers, Bolton Castle, Holdsworth House, Merchant Adventurer's Hall, Blenheim House, Allerton Castle, Hazelwood Castle, Ruddying Park etc, etc!

Which artists have you been most influenced by?

We like to draw from the traditions of the best Scottish, Irish and English musicians from the past, but we inject our sound with a contemporary edge in terms of the harmony and a driving, funky rhythmic feel from the guitar and percussion. We dare you to try and not tap your toes!

What is the most high profile gig you've performed?

Playing for Sarah Benny's birthday party in the splendour of Rise Hall was a definitive highlight. We've also done large scale weddings with hundreds of dancers on the floor; a fantastic sight to behold! Having said that, we also love doing intimate ceilidhs at the local village hall. Any gig where people are up for dancing is a fun night for us!

Aluinn Ceilidh Band's Prices

Note: prices may vary based on travel distance. For an exact quote, click “Check availability”.

Standard Prices
Performance durationPrice
Up to 1 hour£915
Up to 2 hours£915
Up to 3 hours£1015
Packages
Aluinn Duo (pro/vln)2 musicians
Up to 3 x 30min sets of piano and violin playing a lovely mix of light classical, folk and jazz. Perfect for wedding drinks receptions or private afternoon parties. (£400 plus no additional travel costs if booked with either 3 or 4-piece Aluinn Ceilidh Band.
£425
3/5 Dual-booking package3 musicians
Dual-booking with the Definitives Cover Band (also run by bandleader Aly). Get up to 2 x 1hr sets of 3-piece Aluinn followed by up to 2 x 1hr sets of 5-piece Definitives (female vocals, male vocals/guitar, keyboard, bass, drums. A fantastic mix of music to create a memorable night for your guests.
£1763
4/5 Dual-booking deal4 musicians
Dual-booking with The Definitives Cover Band (also run by bandleader Aly). Up to 2 x 1hr sets with 4-piece Aluinn followed by up to 2 x 1hr sets with 5-piece Definitives (female vocal, male vocals/guitar, keyboards, bass, drums). A fantastic mix of music to create a truly memorable night for your guests.
£1950

Add-ons

Additional use of PA
+£75
Light hire
+£75
Aluinn Ceilidh Band
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5 out of 5
26 verified reviews
Satisfaction
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4.9
Professionalism
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4.9
Communication
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5.0
Punctuality
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5.0

Aluinn Ceilidh Band's Reviews

From Encore customers:

JR
John R
1 month ago
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5 out of 5

Great night of dancing so thanks to Aly and the band.

Reply from Aluinn Ceilidh Band
1 month ago

Thanks so much John. Glad you all enjoyed it!

NC
Noel C
1 month ago
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5 out of 5

Excellent band - punctual, professional and sensitive to the needs of the occasion.

Reply from Aluinn Ceilidh Band
1 month ago

Thanks Noel! It was lovely to see you all again :) Aly & the band

BP
Benjamin P
3 months ago
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5 out of 5

Aluinn were simply amazing. They were excellent in the run up to our wedding with prompt correspondence and the event itself was awesome. All our guests had a thoroughly wonderful time. It was a really lovely evening, everyone was on their feet. Cannot thank Aluinn enough for such a wonderful event!!

Reply from Aluinn Ceilidh Band
3 months ago

Thank you for the lovely review Ben! We loved playing for you all :) Best wishes, Aly & the band

BR
Barbara R
7 months ago
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5 out of 5

Absolutely wonderful ❤️

Reply from Aluinn Ceilidh Band
7 months ago

Thanks Barbara! We enjoyed it as well :) Best wishes, Aly & the band x

Read all 18 reviews

From other customers:

CJ
Catherine J
5 years ago, for a Wedding in Fossgate
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5 out of 5

Thanks so much to Aluinn Ceilidh Band for helping to make our wedding celebrations so much fun! What a great way to get everyone up on the dance floor. The band was excellent and we enjoyed every dance. We'd recommend you to everyone!

LM
Laura M
5 years ago, for a Birthday party in The Folk Hall
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5 out of 5

We've just completed our Ceilidh for my 50th birthday. I had the band Aluinn and they were absolutely fantastic, I really enjoyed it. They really got the party going and it was a fantastic quality of music. Thanks so much!

Read all 40 reviews