The Gleneely Ceili Band

The Gleneely Ceili Band

The Gleneely Ceili Band performed at local dances around the area playing music for céilí and popular songs of the day. Jim and Archie Warnock, James Bradley, Frank Griffin, Mickey Curley, John Mc Gonagle and on occasion Deirdre Mc Grory (nee Doherty) joined them on vocals. During the 1950s the O’Kane family band with members John, Tom, Patrick and Annie Kane, the Tremone dance band, George Mc Laughlin and his band played in O’Kane’s Hall, Lecamey, Bob Carey’s loft Carrowmena and dance halls popular at the time such as Bocan hall, the Wee Hall Culdaff , The Swansea- Drumaweir, Shroove Cafe and Moville.

In Moville during summer months there would be a ceili every night of the week dancing til 2am. In the Culdaff area John Joe Mc Grory, piano accordion and his good friend Michael Byrne on fiddle from Malin played at social events around the area. A popular tune they played at the time was the ‘Bocan Waltz’. Other musicians around the Culdaff area were William Knox and George Mills (Carthage) both played fiddle.

Gleneely Ceili Band

In recent years family’s such as the Barron family and the Mc Colgan family from Muff have kept much of the music alive. The Mc Colgan family as the Cottage Ceili band perform at ceili dances throughout the north west.