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From£675

1 hour

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Bowstring

Bowstring at Hop Festival, Faversham

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About Bowstring

Bringing everyone together for a fun filled evening of dance and feisty music, Bowstring will make your special event a night to remember

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Ceilidh band

Herne Bay

Public liability insurance of £10 million

Verified profile

Bowstring Barndance and Ceilidh Band, formed in 2007, is a traditional Irish/Scottish and English ceilidh and barn dance folk band based in Kent and South East England that performs regularly throughout the UK. Perfect for weddings, parties, and all occasions. Bringing together some of the most skilled and experienced performers in their field, Bowstring offers a full evening’s entertainment ideal for corporate functions, weddings, barn dances, ceilidhs, concerts, and festivals. Individually, the band members have worked all over the world, singing and playing for concerts and ceilidhs plus on Radio, TV, and Films (e.g. Chris Taylor, Top of the Pops/ Never Mind The Buzzcocks). Our caller uses humour to put the dancers at their ease whilst the band, with their astonishing array of instruments, has a full and exciting sound that drives the dancers on. Between dances, Bowstring has an excellent repertoire of songs and tunes for listening. The emphasis is very much on ENTERTAINMENT!

Bowstring

5 out of 5

31 verified reviews

Satisfaction

5.0

Professionalism

5.0

Communication

4.9

Punctuality

4.8

Bowstring's Reviews

5 out of 5

Bowstring did an amazing ceilidh at our wedding! We asked them to do a performance to accompany our first dance, which was beautiful. Our guests enjoyed the ceilidh and were up on the dance floor. Bowstring were so professional to work with, I couldn’t recommend them any more highly! Thank you again!

5 out of 5

Everyone who came to my party really enjoyed the evening. Great music, dancing and fun was had by all!

5 out of 5

Fabulous. We booked Bowstring for our wedding. We had a handful of guests from Scotland but the rest of the guest had no clue - it didn’t matter. We were talked through everything step by step. So many of our friends have said it was the best idea and so great for getting everyone up and interacting, from our 4yr old to my relatives in their 60s. Thoroughly recommend.

5 out of 5

The party was fantastic, everyone enjoyed themselves, thank you to Swing The Bridge for an excellent evening!

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5 out of 5

Great night, they got everyone up and dancing, well done and thank you Bowstring

Hi Martin Just a quick line to say a huge thank you for a wonderful evenings entertainment last night. Everyone had such a great evening and it was certainly a night to remember with much fun and laughter. Wit thanks Kind regards Georgina

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Encore badges

Top 10 booked musician of 2023

Lightning fast responses

Average response time under 2 hours

25 gigs

Pro: 25 bookings through Encore

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

Member of the Encore community forum

Bowstring's Song list

Bowstring Ceilidh / Barn Dance Band will lead you through fun dances and entertain you with their varied repertoire of songs and tunes to make your special event especially memorable.

Popular dances, suitable for complete beginners through to the more adventurous, include::The Virginia Reel, Gay Gordon's, Dashing White Sergeant, Cumberland Square Eight, Seige of Ennis, Waves of Tory, Bridge of Athlone, Strip the Willow and The Eightsome Reel.

Bowstring's selection of tunes drive the dances. From Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, America and beyond, they include:

The Walls of Liscarroll / Banish Misfortune

Jig of Slurs / Atholl Highlanders

Calliope House / Kesh Jig / Rakes of Kildare

Balquidder Lasses / Mairi's Wedding / The Highland Laddie

Spootaskerry / The Silver Spear / The Sally Gardens / Miss McLeod's Reel

The Dashing White Sergeant / Far From Home / The Hut On Staffin Island

The White Cockade / The Rose Tree / Salmon Tails

Merrily Kissed The Quaker's Wife / The Dingle Regatta

The Connaughtman's Rambles / Pay The Reckoning / My Darling Asleep

Redwing /June Apple / Waiting For The Federals

Mountain Road / Joe Cooley's

Hardiman The Fiddler / Fig For A Kiss / The Foxhunter's Jig

Da Greenland Man / Schaals O' Foula / Christmas Day In The Morning

Haste to The Wedding / Sixpenny Money / Morrison's Jig

Flatbush Waltz

Midnight On The Water

The Dark Island / Ye Banks And Braes

La Bastringue

Cock Of The North / Hundred Pipers

Harvest Home / Boys Of Bluehill / Soldiers Joy

Sir Roger De Coverley

John Ryan's Polka / Dennis Murphy's

Newmarket Polka's / Ballydesmond Polka

Rocky Road to Dublin / Kid On The Mountain

The Bear Dance

The Horses' Brawl

Horizonto

Plus a varied range of songs to entertain the dancer's when they need to catch their breath:

Galway Girl

Caledonia

Country Roads

Black Is The Colour

Fields Of Athenry

Ride On

Wagon Wheel

Runaway

Both Sides Of The Tweed

Molly Mallone

When You Were Sweet Sixteen

I'll Tell Me Ma

Star Of The County Down

Wild Rover

Black Velvet Band

Fisherman's Blues

Loch Lomond

Wild Mountain Thyme

Bowstring's Prices

Last updated: 2024

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

Performance duration	Price
Up to 1 hour	£675
Up to 2 hours	£675
Up to 3 hours	£875

Musicianship

Genres:

Folk, Bluegrass, Ceilidh, Country, Folk rock, Irish rock, Rockabilly, Traditional English folk, Traditional Irish folk, Traditional Scottish folk

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Types:

Ceilidh band

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Event types:

Wedding, Bar / Club / Venue event, Private event, Corporate event, Charity event, Concert, Burns night, Birthday party, Christmas party, New Year's Eve

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