Down the Lane

I've just had an email from one of my favourite bands telling me about these ceilidhs
17th May - Maplewood with Terry Walsh at [url]Bollington Arts Centre[/url]. This is part of the Bollington Folk Weekend, with real ale and several concerts and workshops over the weekend.
24th May - Albireo with Pete Coe at [url]Chester Folk Festival[/url] 2really goo d bands (with some overlap of musicians. Excelent callers too

Arrrgh
I posted that in a hurry while waiting for the spuds to boil, and didn't see the links in time to change them.
Chester Folk Festival in Kelsall (a few miles East of Chester) is on the Bank Holiday weekend. Lots of good concerts - we have the BBC Young Folk Award winners among lots of others. Sessions, ceilidhs and workshops for those who prefer to play, dance and sing. Lots for the kids to do, a good playground on the site, a circus tent with entertainment and equipment and a Family Ceilidh on Sunday afternoon (I've spent the morning working out a list of dances to call for that).
The Bollington link should have been.

Mo, good luck at your festival.
Sorry if this is a daft question but are ceilidh dances similar either side of the border? We love a good ceilidh up here - most notably The Gay Gordons, Strip the Willow, The Dashing White Sargeant, Eightsome reel, Military two step, Cumberland Square (for the adventurous) etc.

They are fairly similar. In fact I went to a wedding ceilidh in Dumfries and was surpised at the number of English and Irish dances that were danced. Ours are all 'walked through' before the music starts, no-one is expected to know the dances, as different callers may use a wide variety, though there is a big overlap. All the Scottish ones you mention (except perhaps Military 2step) are sometimes danced here, though not as much as they used to be. Theres usually a dance with a double strip the willow figure in it e.g. Virginia Reel, Barley Reel, Foula reel.
At Kelsall Friday and Monday will be local bands (deserve to be famous but are a well kept secret by those in the know), on Sat and Sun they book nationally known bands - this year it's 'This Way Up' & 'All Blacked Up ', this lights are turned down and the volume up, and it gets quite crowded and wild. Makes me feel my age so we go to concerts instead. But we enjoy the Friday and Monday dancing.

Thanks Mo, a good caller is a huge asset unless you have an experienced crowd. hope you have a great time