The Ceilidh Experience was originally formed in Edinburgh in 2002 when established musicians Norman Mackay and Carrie Thomas began gigging as an accordion/fiddle duo.
The band has since gone on to perform at ceilidhs all over Scotland as well as making regular trips to England, Ireland and Abroad.

The Ceilidh Experience can be found performing at weddings, festivals, functions, corporate events and parties. From Scotland’s most desirable castles, stately homes and hotels, to local village halls and barn dances, to their biggest crowd to date, in June 2005 when they played for 5000 dancers on Edinburgh’s meadows breaking the world record for the biggest ever Eightsome Reel!

Currently consisting of accordion, twin fiddles, guitar and drums, The Ceilidh Experience can provide various line ups to cater for any event, from the compact trio right up to a full 5 piece line up with in house sound engineer and optional extras including additional sound and lighting equipment, smoke machines, radio mics etc. For and more information, don’t hesitate to ask.

In addition to the ceilidh band, they also work with an experienced, professional DJ, piper and classical string quartet and can arrange a full package tailor made to suit you requirements. For more information, see Packages.

Contact details

Email Norman at: info@ceilidhexperience.com

Call Norman on: +44 (0) 781 614 4605

An enquiry form is available online.



About the Band

Norman Mackay (Accordion / Caller)
Born in the Highlands, Norman has been playing the button accordion since early childhood. He turned fully professional shortly after moving the Edinburgh inn 2002. In 2004 he won the all Scotland button accordion championship and he has since gone on to establish himself as one of Scotland’s most accomplished folk accordionists.
His own compositions regularly feature on TV and radio in both the UK and abroad, from the television documentary “The Reivers and the Making of the Borders” to the recent American Express MasterCard TV commercial which used a sample of his playing on the soundtrack.
2008 saw the release of his debut album “The Perfect Squeeze” which was produced by Ross Kennedy and features some of Scotland’s finest musicians including Moishe’s Bagel violinist, Greg Lawson and Donald Shaw of the Celtic super group, Capercaillie.

Emma Pethybridge (Fiddle/Caller)
Emma joined the Ceilidh Experience in September 2004 after meeting Norman on the folk scene in Edinburgh. Trained classically (BA Joint Honours Music/Hispanic Studies) Emma began playing traditional and folk music through the Glasgow Fiddle Workshop learning from great players such as Chris Stout and Aiden O’Rourke. She has travelled the world with her fiddle, studying tango in Argentina and playing with Quinteto Nostalgico.
Back in Edinburgh she is a regular performer with the Meadows Chamber Orchestra and has a keen interest in improvisation playing in 03/04 with the Tolbooth Improvisers Orchestra. Emma also works as a music therapist having completed a postgraduate diploma in music therapy (Nordoff-Robbins) in 2004.

Carrie Thomas (Fiddle/Caller)
Carrie originally studied classical music on both violin & bassoon, before being introduced to the crazy world of folk through the Edinburgh Youth Gaitherin.
She received tuition from some of Scotland's finest fiddlers including Alasdair Fraser and Gavin Marwick.
At the tender age of 15 she formed her first ceilidh band, Cu Chulaind's Raven, and at 17 was offered a place on the Scottish Music course at Glasgow's RSAMD.
Carrie has performed at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and has gone on to play in many different ceilidh bands including The Sensational Jimmy Shandrix Experience and The Columcille Ceilidh Band (a band which was set up for musicians with a learning disability), as well as leading her own popular ceilidh crew, Carrie On Dancing.

Calum McIntyre (Drums)
Calum McIntyre (BMus) studied classical percussion at the Ian Tomlin School of Music, Napier University and now plays regularly in and around central Scotland. He is an experienced show band musician playing in over 26 amateur and professional productions since graduating in 2004. He has recorded performances for BBC1 (TV) and live sessions on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio Scotland. His freelance work includes performances with Scottish Ballet, Edinburgh Symphony Orchestra and Edinburgh Sinfonia. Calum loves jazz and enjoys playing with top musicians in Edinburgh’s thriving scene. He is delighted to be working with master accordionist Norman Mackay and the Ceilidh Experience and looks forward to another prosperous year!

Ross Kennedy (Acoustic guitar/song)
Ross Kennedy has been performing Scottish music and song, home and abroad, for over 30 years. He’s toured extensively worldwide with bands such as The Tannahill Weavers, Iron Horse and Canterach, as well as various duo's and trio's.
He’s produced countless albums, and appeared on many more including the Complete Songs Of Robert Burn’s (Linn Records) and his recent solo album ‘Scottish Voice & Acoustic Guitar’ which was released on the Greentrax label. He’s also collaborated with many of traditional music‘s biggest names including, Capercaillie’s Karen Matheson, piping genius Gordon Duncan, and the world famous Cape Breton fiddler, Jerry Holland.

Ruairidh Macmillan (fiddle/ caller)
Ruairidh was awarded the prestigious title of 'BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2009'.
Originally from Nairn, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, he plays fiddle in various bands, including, The Paul McKenna Band and, The Rua Macmillan Band, which also features Tia Fyles and Adam Brown. He was taught by Bruce Macgregor, Alpha Munro, Sharon Hassan, and most notably, Aonghas Grant Snr - the great Left-handed fiddler from Lochaber.
Last year he gained a B.A. (Scottish Music) degree at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, and he has already toured extensively in the UK and Europe, as well as Canada, South America and the Faeroe Islands!

Richard Corral (Drums)
Richard has drummed with The Ceilidh Experience since returning to Scotland from Canada in 2004. While in Canada, Richard won the coveted Notre Dame Music Award. This accolade was a welcome addition to the many awards Richard has won at Scottish Music Festivals since he begun drumming 14 years ago.
His rhythm, energy and stylish grooves together with his extrovert personality have made him a popular addition to the band.



PACKAGES

The Ceilidh Experience can arrange a complete entertainment package to suit your requirements:

Weddings
The Ceilidh Experience aims to meet you individual preferences to make you celebration stress free, memorable, truly special and unique. We can provide you with a full music package tailored to your specifications.
In addition to the ceilidh band we can provide other entertainment, such as an accordion and fiddle duo, classical string quartet, highland piper and professional DJ/Disco.
We will work with you to co-ordinate and individualise a full entertainment package, leaving you free to relax and enjoy the company of your guests.
We are happy to travel any distance, providing our expenses and additional costs are covered.

Ceilidh / Disco
The ceilidh/disco is our most popular package. For the past few years The Ceilidh Experience have worked alongside Edinburgh based DJ James Veal.
James will be fully equipped with professional sound and lighting equipment and will provide a wide range of music to cater for all tastes. He will be happy for you to supply you own CD’s or even for you to provide complete set lists in advance. James will also be available to offer his advice (based on 25 years experience) on what music may or may not create the best party atmosphere for your guests.

The Big Show
Although our basic ceilidh/disco package includes a high quality sound system and ample lighting for an average venue, it’s also possible for us to create a much larger show.
For larger venues, or a bigger show we hire in our DJ (James Veal) who also doubles up as our sound/ lighting engineer. Having a separate sound/lighting man on board ensures the best possible quality of sound and allows the musicians to concentrate entirely on their performance.
James also runs an equipment hire company and has access to a vast range of high spec sound & lighting, smoke machines, radio equipment etc. Whatever your requirements, please feel free to contact us by telephone to discuss your plans and we’ll be happy to work with you to create a show tailor made to suit your taste, venue and of course budget.

Ceilidh Rock band
The Ceilidh Experience rock line up includes accordion, 1 or 2 fiddlers, Drum kit and our guitarist Ross Kennedy on electric guitar. There is no extra charge for the rock line up although we do recommend the soundman and lighting rig for maximum effect.
This line up is best suited for larger gigs and wouldn’t work so well in smaller venues.

Highland Piper
Our Highland Piper, John Mackintosh, performs at a large number of weddings, private and corporate events. At weddings he can provide the following services and is available to chat to you beforehand, listen to your personal requirements and offer his help and advice. The list of services John can provide include:
Piping bride, groom and guests from the ceremony.
Piping arrival of bride, groom and guests at reception venue.
Piping top table guests in to dinner, and Piping the bride couple to their place of honour.
Traditionally, a Highland Piper will toast the bride and groom with a dram of whisky before piping himself from the room.

Accordion and Fiddle duo
The Ceilidh Experience accordion & fiddle duo can play a wide range of acoustic music during wedding ceremony, drinks receptions and various other events.
This line up is also available for off-peak ceilidhs (Sun-Thurs) Please ask for more info & a quote.

Accordion, Fiddle and Piano trio
We can also provide an accordion, violin & piano trio.
With both of these line ups, we cover a wide range of music, from traditional Scottish slow airs & marches to French, Norwegian & Klezma pieces, as well as our own original compositions.
We occasionally perform concerts at the St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh with this trio. If you would like more info on these please ask for details.

String Quartet
The Stirling String Quartet was formed in the summer of 2003 and is made up of professional classical musicians based in and around Edinburgh. It has a diverse repertoire, from light classical music to ragtime, jazz, film music, popular songs and even Scottish and Irish traditional music. Most of the repertoire is well known and popular and requests for specific music can be made beforehand.
The quartet often plays for weddings and can provide background music for drinks after the ceremony, music for the service itself, or music during the meal. Bookings are also taken for corporate events and private parties. Any event can benefit greatly from music provided by a String Quartet as it adds such a special atmosphere to an occasion.