Ceilidh capers

I heard recently that the local Green party was running a fundraising ceilidh. I've been hearing about ceilidhs and what fun they are for months- so, I figured, what more could a girl ask for on a chilly Friday night??


My chum Lizzy, who's a ceilidh veteran, jumped at the chance to come along, and we made our way down to a local sports hall, collected the free drinks included with our tickets and proceeded to natter until the band kicked in. I got a wee thrill when Lizzy noted approvingly that I'd dressed in layers (in case things got warm) and brought flat shoes to dance in.


So, what exactly is a ceilidh? I confess now, that apart from being vaguely aware that music, some sort of dancing, and perhaps drinking might be involved, I had no idea what to expect.


That fabulous fount of all knowledge, Wikipedia, tells us that the word is actually Scots Gaelic (silly me, I thought it was Irish), and that what you get at a ceilidh probably depends on which part of Britain (or Ireland) you're in. The honest truth is that a ceilidh (which, by the by, is pronounced cay-lee) resembles nothing so much as a good ol' fashioned bush dance, or barn dance.


And it's such a riot of fun! Beginners need not fear - every ceilidh band includes a 'caller', who not only walks the whole floor through the dance beforehand, but calls every step through the dance... not that this is enough to stop a set (group of 4-8 couples) of complete novices from bollixing the whole thing completely... much to their own amusement and that of most of the floor.


There was no danger of that with this event - Lizzy is a seasoned caller, so knew every step of every dance. As is usual at these things there was a distinct shortage of blokes, so we ended up pairing up a lot of the time, taking turns to be the boy. So I was piloted all over the dance floor with grand style, and even had my first taste of 'ceilidh swing'... nowhere near as salacious as it sounds, it involves some kind of "one hand round their waist, one hand hangin' on to theirs" grip arrangement, and spinning each other around. Really fast.


Can't wait for another one.