Celtic folk band
The Gold Ring
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1 hour
Watch & Listen
1-2 of 2 videos
Ben Walker & Chris Knowles- The Stone in the Field
Ben Walker and Chris Knowles Wimborne 2012 Throw the Beetle at her
About The Gold Ring
Instrumental duo specialising in traditional Celtic music, playing uilleann pipes, flute, Celtic harp, bouzouki, whistle & low D whistle.
Celtic folk band
Poulton-le-Fylde
Public liability insurance of £5 million
Verified profile
The Gold Ring
1 verified review
The Gold Ring's Reviews
From customers:
AK
Ashlea K
1 year ago, for a Wedding in Citadel Cottages
J
J.Ridler
8 years ago
Encore badges
8th Anniversary
This act has been working with Encore for over 8 years
Member of the Encore community forum
The Gold Ring's Song list
Hundreds of traditional Jigs
Hundreds of traditional Reels
A large number of traditional Hornpipes
A large number of Slip Jigs
A large number of Slow airs
Also many Irish Polkas
Also many Kerry Slides
Many Carolan pieces
Approx. 120 traditional Scottish tunes
A number of popular tunes including:
Theme from 'Braveheart'
Theme from 'Titanic'
Carrickfergus
Down by the Sally Gardens
South Wind
Danny Boy
Mountains of Mourne (Carrickdhoun)
Dawning of the Day (Raglan Road)
Star of the County Down
My Lagan Love
The Rose of Allendale
My love is like a red red rose (Rabbie Burns)
Myfanwy
The Dark Island
Curragh of Kildare
Skye boat song
Men of Harlech
She moved through the Fair
May Morning Dew
The Galway Shawl
Lakes of Pontchartraine
When you were Sweet Sixteen (Fureys)
I Will Love You Every time (Fureys)
The Lonesome Boatman (Fureys)
The Coulin
Roisin Ddu
Wild Mountain Thyme
The Rocks of Bawn
The Last Rose of Summer
Bright Blue Rose
Ride On
Women of Ireland
A Woman's Heart
Tammy
The Gold Ring's Prices
Last updated: 2024
Note: prices may vary based on travel distance. For an exact quote, click “Check availability”.
Standard Prices
2 musicians
| Performance duration | Price | |
| Up to 1 hour | £475 | |
| Up to 2 hours | £570 | |
| Up to 3 hours | £625 |
Customer questions
What do your clients love most about your performances?
Ben and I play intricate, fast Irish dance music and evocative beautiful slow airs to a high standard, and are often complimented on the skill, precision, flair and musicality of our performances.
Which venues have you performed at in the past?
Glastonbury Festival
Wimborne Folk Festival
Music over the Dee- open air concert on Wirral.
Red Lion Folk Club, Birmingham
De Coste Centre, Pictou, Nova Scotia.
Hay on Wye Festival
Manchester Town Hall
Tower Bridge, London
Shepperton Studios, Middx.
Lulworth Castle, Dorset
Wedderburn Castle, Scotland
Numerous other castles and Country Houses in UK
Which artists have you been most influenced by?
Paddy Keenan
Davy Spillane
Liam O'Flynn
Matt Molloy
Mary Bergin
Planxty
Bothy Band
The Gloaming
Alan Stivell
Alison Kinnaird
What is the most high profile gig you've performed?
Sole support act to the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra,
at open air concert 'Music over the Dee' on the Wirral, to an audience of approx. 4,500 people.
Do you have different line-up options?
We normally play as a duo (Chris on Celtic harp/bouzouki/cittern, and Ben on uilleann pipes/flute/whistles/low D whistle); but we also can sometimes offer a trio option, with the addition of a bodhran (Irish drum) player.
What if my timings change after I've booked you?
We always try to be flexible regarding timing changes, and can usually accommodate small timing changes of 30 minutes or so- but please let us know as soon as possible if there is any greater change to the planned timing for the event, as with longer distance travel we may need to alter our travel & accommodation plans accordingly.
Can you provide an iPod/DJ service before and between your sets?
We do not offer a DJ service. We can provide background music from our mp3 player through our PA; or the client may provide their own Ipod & playlist which we can play through our PA (client must provide a suitable connection lead!). We offer this service for free, during our breaks; however it is not available after our final live performance set.
How much time do you need to set up?
We usually require approximately a minimum of 45 minutes to set up our equipment and tune the instruments, but prefer 1 hour if possible. We require 2 armless chairs, and a mains power point to be provided at the set up location, and we require that these MUST to be in place BEFORE we arrive to set up!
Can you roam around while you perform?
No. The nature of our instruments both requires both players to be seated.
Can I pick the songs you play from the set list?
We have our own (very large- too long to list here) repertoire of traditional Celtic music, and in any given year we have a main performance set taken from this. However, do let us know in advance if you have any special requests, and if they are in our repertoire we'll include them in our set.
Is all of the equipment (e.g. PA & lighting) included in your quote?
We provide our own compact, high quality PA system, and our instruments. We require the client or venue to provide 2 armless chairs (or 3 for the trio), and a mains power point at the performance location. We can play outdoors, but it must be a minimum of 15 degrees C., and we require shade from direct sun on the instruments, and shelter from any rain.
Can you learn song requests before the event?
For Weddings, Anniversaries or similar special occasions, we are willing to learn 1 or 2 specially requested tunes, if we don't already play them- as long as they are suitable for our instruments. We usually include this service for no extra charge.
Musicianship
Genres:
Traditional Irish folk, Folk, Traditional Scottish folk, Ceilidh, Scottish music, Welsh folk
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Event types:
Wedding, Wedding proposal, Funeral / Memorial service, Hotel / Restaurant event, Bar / Club / Venue event, Private event, Corporate event, Charity event, Concert, Recording session, Burns night, Birthday party
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