Hire Chris Dyson | Fiddler in Pontefract

Check availability and get a free quote now - no commitment to book

From£160

Like Chris?

Watch & Listen

Watch

Listen

1-3 of 3 videos

Sliabh Geol gCua

DysonMoss - Polkas

DysonMoss Kitchen Session

About Chris

Chris is a traditional Irish fiddler, octave mandola, singer. 35yrs experienece of anything celtic, ceilis etc.

3 of 5 photos

Fiddler

Pontefract

Been playing fiddle for several decades, mainly trad Irish style. I lived in Co Mayo & played there with some of the legends of Irish music particularly Matt Molloy at his pub in Westport. I am a member of the Leeds Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri na Eirrean & have competeded at All Ireland level in the Fleadhs & with the Leeds Ceili Band have been All Britain Ceili Band Champions. I have played with the legendary Mike Harding (Rochdale Cowboy) Band, the celtic rock band Gaelforce (now reforming) & numerous other bands. I have recorded several albums with different bands & done several live Radio performances. I have undertaken numerous private gigs , playing in private houses, for ceilis, weddings playing in the church & indeed funerals.

Chris

5 out of 5

4 verified reviews

Satisfaction

5.0

Professionalism

5.0

Communication

5.0

Punctuality

5.0

Chris' Reviews

5 out of 5

Chris was very professional and punctual and he was an excellent communicator in the run-up to our wedding. We would be very happy to recommend him.

Reply from Chris

4 months ago

Thanks Linda it was a pleasure & a wonderful wedding service. Chris

5 out of 5

Amazing! I needed a good musician to play at my micro Irish bar and Chris went above and beyond he brought another musician and played perfect songs for our bar and traveled quite far in short notice they were brilliant and I’ve had great feedback from my customers 😁☘️ sláinte

Reply from Chris

1 year ago

Thanks Enya, it was a pleasure. The guitar player with was the brilliant Richard Moss, we only play together occasionally but we are both ex members of the Mike Harding Band.

5 out of 5

Chris and his band were a lovely addition to our spring wedding. They provided a lovely ambience as we wanted a rustic vibe, with some Celtic/folky songs. Thank you!

Reply from Chris

1 year ago

Thanks Lucy, it was a pleasure & such a beautiful setting & weather for the wedding. Chris

5 out of 5

Chris & Paddy played at our wedding, in between the ceremony and the evening do. They were absolutely brilliant and just what we had wanted. They really created a cheery atmosphere for our guests who all really enjoyed the music. They even did a couple of specific requests made on the day. I would highly recommend them for any occasion. Thank you so much. Rose and Steve

Hi Chris,thanks very much for a brilliant evening. I hope you all got home safely. I listened to your cd this morning it's fantastic.

‘’ The first time I heard Róisín Bán play was at a concert at the Seven Arts in Chapel Allerton Leeds and I was very impressed by their mastery of playing Irish music and ‘Celtic’ music generally. It was obvious that each member of the band was at a very high level of skill with their chosen instruments. The result was a great sound. I went up to Chris Dyson afterwards to get information about the band and how to go about booking them. [I am responsible for organising a fund raising Ceili each year for Leeds Irish Health and Homes. I am also on the Women's Group committee at the Immaculate Hart of Mary Church Leeds and we organise a St Patricks Day Dance each year as near as possible to March 17th.] Chris and Róisín Bán have played for me at virtually all of these occasions over the past few years and have been very much appreciated by the people who attended. I also booked Róisín Bán for my son’s wedding last August and they went down a treat. There were many young people in the guest list and they loved it. I can recommend them to you. Yours sincerely, Mary Garner.

Read all 3 reviews

Encore badges

Saved the day!

Booked for an Encore gig with less than 24 hours’ notice

8th Anniversary

This act has been working with Encore for over 8 years

Chris' Song list

Anything traditional Irish on fiddle. Jigs, reels, slow airs, polkas etc

Customer questions

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

We will fit in with what you want as long as its the same date. If the its a date change we will accomodate that if we are available.

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

You are welcome to play any music you wish through out PA system. We do have an IPOD we plug in with some music appropriate to the event, but why not choose you own music & plug your IPOD/Phone etc in.

How much time do you need to set up?

At a push we can be set up in 30 mins, but ussualy work on 1 hrs includinh unloading, carry equipment in etc . Once we are actualy in there we dont take long, as we have state of the arts Bose digital PA where all setting are saved for the band as you would save a document on your computer. Once everything is plugged in we are pretty much able to go.

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

We are happy to play anything you wish if we know it, but it does need to be music in our genre of music. We also can play for specific events. primarily we play Irish folk/ceili music but can also do Scots Burns nights, play for funerals, weddings in the church or whatever you require. In the past I have done everything from playing for members of the Roya

Do you bring all the equipment you need to perform?

Yes, expect power which we normally use mains. If no mains electric available , a generator would do the job. But we can also play acoustically anywhere.

Can you learn specific pieces before the event?

Maybe! if they are in our music genre. Depend on how much work is involved in producing what you want. If it were a specific tune or song perhaps for a wedding then yes we can probably do that.

What do your clients love most about your performances?

Everywhere we play, we get superb comments about the quality of the band/musicians & we also try to be as friendly, co operative as we are able to.

Which venues have you performed at in the past?

Far too many to list, Ive been playing my genre of music for many decades. But I did the Grovenor Park Hotel, Park Lane, London with Princess Anne as guest of honour with compere Ruby Wax. Ive also done many of the major folk festivals in the UK including eg Sidmouth Folk Week, WHitby Folk week etc & tours & festivals in Spain, Belgium, Germany, France & the

Which artists have you been most influenced by?

Bothy Band, Moving Hearts, Matt Molloy, Jethro Tull, most trad Irish & folk rock music. I was also in Mike Hardings (rochdale cowboy) band & in the famous country band The Muldoon Brothers.

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

Maybe in from of Princess Anne, but for me it was Labdoux festival in Belgium to an audience of approx 5000

Musicianship

Genres:

Folk, Ceillidh, Folk rock, Irish rock, Traditional Irish folk, Traditional Scottish folk

See all genres

Instruments:

Fiddle, Mandolin

See all instruments

Event types:

Concert, Wedding, Wedding proposal, Funeral / Memorial service, Church service, Hotel / Restaurant event, Bar / Club / Venue event, Private event, Corporate event, Charity event, Recording session, Theatre / Show, Cruise, Burns night, Birthday party, Christmas party, New Year's Eve

See all event types