A céilí band in Barcelona? Sounds odd... Yet with so many people now cultivating Irish traditional music in and around Barcelona – collectively in the sessions, and sometimes in small independent groups as well – the idea of forming a big band with all the most accomplished players representing all the main traditional instruments had to arise sooner or later. The emergence of Irish-dance groups here (the Claddagh Ring Dancers and the Delorgan Irish Dance Company) added fuel to the fire: expert dancers were on hand to display their dancing and show audiences how to join in céilí dances.

The result is the Barcelona Céilí Band, a group of around a dozen musicians (so far!), all with long experience playing in sessions and small groups. Based on our session repertoire, we produced a set list for the Band and got down to work... And we were delighted with the results. The quasi-symphonic sound that emerged was a new and exciting experience for us, and the dancers approved! And when our tenor-banjo player (and graphic designer) Manolo produced a great design for the band's official T-shirt, it was clear there was no going back!

The opportunity for the Band's official launch soon came: our five-string banjo player, Lluis Gómez (well known for his bluegrass band but also for his forays into Irish music) invited us all to appear at the bluegrass & old-time festival he runs: Al Ras. And so it was that the band appeared for the first time on stage under the spotlights, with a big sound system and a good engineer to control it, and a squad of dancers to show what it's all about, in Mollet del Vallès in June 2008. A great time was had by all, and so now Barcelona now has its very own Céilí Band, whether it wanted one or not...