Árd Ghaisce na mBuíonta (the Great Céilí Band Challenge) took the town of Ennis by storm. It was the start of an exciting new and innovative development in Irish music and for those who were not there, the good news is that it is to be repeated, with even more bands this year, for the 2008 Festival.

It will take place on Friday 7th November from 7pm in The West County Hotel, with MC for the night, Kieran Hanrahan. The Céilí Band has justly held a proud place in Irish music on account of the strong disciplined and finely arranged performances that they deliver to lift hoards of eager dancers and listeners feet alike all around the world. Historically the Céilí Band was the only real showcase opportunity for ensemble group playing of dance music on stage and pre-cursored and helped spawn everything from the showbands era to the development of the many great Irish music bands from the 70’s onwards.

John Rynne, the event organiser explained that this will be a sporting opportunity for several of the best Céilí Bands in Ireland today to compete for a first prize of €5,000 and in a public setting designed to test their mettle against each other in carefully chosen conditions of fairness and impartiality. Last year’s winners Ceoltoirí na Mainistreach will again tog out, having coming 3rd in this year's All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil in Tullamore.

Such is the interest shown by again this year that 12 bands from all over Ireland have already agreed to perform and compete in what will surely become a nationally coveted annual trophy. Second and Third prize winning bands will receive €2,000 and €1,000 each and the competition is set up in a way to ensure that the battle will be hotly and vigorously contested. Most of the bands have competed, toured and performed at all the highest level events including Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.

The Bands who will be performing and competing are as follows:

Inis Free Céilí Band
The Tribes
The Corofin Céilí Band
The Allow Céilí Band
The Kinnity Céilí Band
The Haymakers
The Awbeg Céilí Band
Ceolteoirí na Mainistreach
The Dartry Céilí Band
Banna Cheoil Naomh Íde
The Templeglantine Céilí Band
Boithrín Céilí Band

Céilí bands often had to wear several hats in the past, playing waltzes, two-steps and quicksteps along with regular Irish dance music for ballroom, step and set dancing; fusing the modern and the traditional. Many togged out with saxophone or double basses in addition to flutes, fiddles and the usual instruments associated with the genre. County Clare has a particularly noted record of producing fine bands. We all remember the fantastic audience reception for last year’s winners of the audience vote - the Haymakers.

This year again we will have four experienced adjudicators to independently assess each band and the audience will cast their own ballot with their preferences. The band with the most audience first preferences will be deemed the audience’s first placed band, the second highest number of first preferences will be their second choice and so on. The audience will, in that way form a 5th adjudicator, en masse. This is a bold and open new way of testing bands’ performance abilities, and is sure to attract a large number of willing pencil-wielding punters eager to have their opinion counted. The 4 individual adjudicators will uniquely not see the bands but will hear them from behind a screen and will have bands identified to them by numbers only, to ensure a great degree of fairness. An equalising weighting system will then be applied to each of the 5 adjudications and the totals will decide the winners. The organisers expect that this system will encourage accomplished and new bands alike to participate fully in the event annually. The €15 entry ticket guarantees a voting paper in addition to a vibrant night of the most accomplished level of Céilí band music. Tickets are available on the door and the public is advised to attend early.

All Prizes are sponsored by Ennis Trad Festival.

So folks, be sure to be there on time, with your voting paper in hand ready for the Great Céilí Band Challenge.

A Free Festival Shuttle Bus will go from West County Hotel to Auburn Lodge Hotel from 10.30 pm.

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