Review Centre: Celtic Groups & Ceilidh Bands

"Black Velvet Band Ceilidh Trio – Judy and Jenny’s 80th Birthday Party – February 2026 We found Black Velvet friendly, professional and very talented musicians. Communication ahead of time was prompt and helpful, and on the day they arrived on time and set up discreetly. The music was enjoyed by everyone, a room full of smiles and laughter. Just what we wanted. Thank you for making our 80th birthday celebration so memorable. Would heartily recommend."

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"Dear Fiddlestix, We just wanted to say thank you for your wonderful entertainment with the music and calling on Saturday evening. We all had a brilliant time watching you play and dancing. Here is a photo my friend took of you playing and her young son enjoying the music too. With our heartfelt thanks for making our evening extra special. Best wishes to you all, Sarah and Chris, Amelia and Tim "

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"Black Velvet Band Ceilidh Trio – International Student’s Ceilidh – July 2025 This is the second time we have booked the Black Velvet Band for our summer ceilidh, and it was such fun! The band ran two different dancing sessions for our international students and were very patient with explaining the dances and encouraging all students to participate. The music was brilliant and energetic, and all three band members were so kind and even paused for a photoshoot with the students. We are looking forward to next summer already. I’d absolutely recommend them for any event/party/celebration!"

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"Just a quick note to say thank you very much for playing for us last night. Everyone seemed to have a lovely night and there were lots of good words for you all. If I'm ever brave enough to organise something like this again I will be sure to get in touch!"

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"Hi Gordon, We just wanted to say a big thank you to yourself and the band for the ceilidh for our wedding. It was really great and we had so much fun! So many of our guests who had never been to a ceilidh before said how much they really enjoyed it too! Thanks again! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The Ceili was great - all the guests loved it and we did too. It made the evening! The band were so flexible and they changed the sets to make it work for the venue and what the guests were doing. The room was pretty hot so non-stop dancing wasn't really possible. Throughout the process Ceili Max were professional and always contactable, and it was really good to speak with Tad on the phone. The music was really beautiful too, and my dad (an Irish accordion player) was impressed. He said that the sound was very full and created a great atmosphere. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Kip and the band were absolutely incredible. They brought such a wonderful energy and made the right atmosphere to get everyone up and dancing. All the dances were great and very well explained. Everyone at the wedding commented on how amazing they were and how perfect a ceilidh is to bring people together. I highly recommend this band!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"You were brilliant as a band! I went reeling last night again and they were not a patch on you, I'll be in touch about dates for next year. Once again thank you so much!"

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"Black Velvet Band Ceilidh Trio / 16/07/2021 / Cecilia and Johny’s Wedding Mike and the Black Velvet Band played at our wedding and put together a fantastic set. They had very thoughtfully come up with some more Covid secure dances to cater for people wishing to stay in their respective bubbles but managed to maintain the energy and enthusiasm throughout. The music was brilliant and the calling was the best that I’ve seen at a ceilidh (a difficult skill to perfect!). We did 6 or 7 dances and the band very considerately asked how we (my wife and I) would like to lead the dances to ensure plenty of people engaged but we had no concerns as everyone joined in. All of our guests were delighted and we can’t thank the band for stepping in at relatively short notice, we had a brilliant time."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Had our annual undergraduate ball at The Balmoral last week. Was a great night and that was in large part down to The Northern Reel Collective's awesome performance. The ceilidh was undoubtedly the highlight of the night. Would highly recommend them to anyone else running an event. Quite simply, a fantastic ceilidh band!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We all had a lovely day and Luisa was excellent thank you for all your help."

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"We hired Blackbeard's Tea Party for ceilidh at our wedding- the groom has been a fan of them for many years, so we were delighted that they offered ceilidh hires. They were the highlight of the day- everyone was so friendly and it was exactly what we wanted. They were very organised and the tunes worked very well for the ceilidh, even if people were beginners. The caller was great and got everybody involved- in fact two of our guests were so impressed they've booked him for their wedding! The band played several sets with the right amount of breaks in between and we enjoyed their performance of some of their tunes in between. Brilliant atmosphere and so much fun- would 100% recommend!"

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"We booked Black Velvet Band Ceilidh Trio for a Birthday Party with a mixed age group of family and friends. They were great with a special mention to Jennie (the caller) who really worked hard getting us to do the different dances. Everyone really enjoyed the dances and had a lot of fun! I mustn’t forget Jon and Mike who provided the music. I can’t say enough good things about them – just to say that if you book them you will have a great time!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"A great night of irish/folk at the Countryman Inn near Launceston. Thanks to Kellys Heroes and a big special thanks also for making my old mate Paddy a very happy man... A night to remember... Come back to Cornwall soon.."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"She was absolutely wonderful! The guests at our wedding were amazed and the music she played was so beautiful. She traveled really far for our wedding and even managed to get there early. She’s so friendly and she made the most amazing atmosphere. Thank you so much for being part of our wedding."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: