ThingumaJig

If you are looking for a lively time at your wedding, corporate or social, or a popular professional ceilidh band for your festival or public event, ThingumaJig has the right package for you.

See for yourself why ThingumaJig has become one of the most popular Ceilidh bands in the South East! Foot tapping music, dances and songs from Scotland, England, Ireland and America, played on a fascinating variety of instruments. A Ceilidh or Barn Dance never fails to get everyone involved and makes a success of any event. You can leave it to ThingumaJig to get everyone joining in, and make the night go with a swing! John and Liz use radio mics to get down amongst the dancers, demonstrating and encouraging everyone, and call the dances from the floor.

Pete McClelland is on Melodeon, Fiddle, Banjo & Bouzouki
Mannie McClelland is on Concertina & Mandolin
David Sheldon on Keyboards
Dan Dotor-Cespedes is on Bass Guitar
Ollie Boorman or Gerald Eyton-Jones on Drums

Regular callers John & Liz Scholey call and demonstrate the dances, are on hand with percussion and together make sure everyone has a chance to join in the fun.

Inexperienced dancers are not a problem, ThingumaJig will suit the dancing to the ability of the dancers, whether it is for complete novices, or seasoned folk dancers. We can also flavour the event in whatever way you like with American, Scottish, Irish or English music and dances.

From your local village hall to a folk festival concert stage, from a marquee in the garden to a prestige venue such as the Institute of Directors in Pall Mall or the Law Society in the City of London, the band is comfortable in any kind of venue big or small.

Dances they like to call

Ceilidh Dances

• Albion Mixer
• Ashurst Ramble
• Athena Reel
• Better than Maypole
• Bodmin Riding
• Boston Tea Party
• Bottoms Up
• Bridge of Athlone
• Buffalo Girls
• Buttered Peas
• Caerphilly March
• Canadian Barn Dance
• Carousel
• Cheltenham Flyer
• Circassian Circle
• Circle Waltz
• Cumberland Square Eight
• Cornish Six Hand Reel
• Dashing White Sargeant
• Djatchko Kolo
• Dorset Five Hand Reel
• Drops of Brandy
• Eightsome Reel
• Elizabethan Jubilee
• Falling Masonry
• Farmer’s Jig
• Flying Scotsman
• Foula Reel
• Galopede
• Gay Gordons
• Goathland Square Eight
• Hamilton House
• Harper’s Frolic
• I Want to be Near You
• Jack the Lad
• Keeps
• Kerry Square
• La Russe
• Lucky 7
• Military Two Step
• Nine Pins
• Nottingham Swing
• Old Swan Dance
• Oxo Reel
• Party Dance
• Pride of Dingle
• Ripple on the Tavy (or Teign)
• Rosza
• Siege of Ennis
• Sir Roger de Coverley
• Small Wonder
• Snowball
• St Bernards Waltz
• Stoke Golding
• Strip the Willow
• Strip the Willow Square
• Swedish Masquerade
• Tavern in the Town
• The Pawnbroker
• Twelve Meet
• Uncle Jim
• Virginia Reel
• Walls of Limerick
• Willow Tree
• Witches Reel
• Zetland Circle
• Yarmouth Long Dance

Line Dances

• Birchwood Stroll
• Cowboy Charleston
• Cowboy Hustle
• Simply Shamrock

Show Dances – Danced by John & Liz Scholey

• Electric Reel
• Morris Jig
• Pot of Gold
• Reel & Warriors
• Salty Dog

Music they like to play

Hornpipes

• Alexander’s/Off to California
• Click go the Shears/Trumpet Hornpipe
• Cronin’s/Flowing Tide
• Dance of the Honeybees
• Harvest Home/Boys of Blue Hill
• Homebrew/Homeruler/Kitty’s Wedding

Jigs

• I Want to be Near You
• Bellingham Boat /Hogmanay Jig
• Calliope House/Da Brig/Foula Reel/Glasgow City Police Pipe Band
• Cock of the North/Hundred Pipers/Major McKie’s
• Hamilton House
• Michael Turners Jig/Whose Jig
• Old Hag you have Killed Me/Shandon Bells
• Oyster Girl/Guid Man/Lady in a Boat/Nellie the Elephant
• Rogues March
• Merri Creek/Uncles/Marlin Jig
• Morgan Rattler/The Cream Pot (48)
• Seven Stars/Hullichan/Mucking O Geordie’s Byre
• When Daylight Shines/Shoreham Shuffle
• Random/Shoreham Shuffle (48)
• Sweets of May/Dingle Regatta (48)
• Kathleen Hehir/ Atholl Highlanders (64)
• Merrily Kissed the Quaker/Con Cassidy’s

Marches

• 42nd Highlanders/Bonnie Lass of Fyvie/42nd
• Mairi’s Wedding
• Red River Valley/Coming Round the Mountain
• Scotland Brave/No Awa Tae Bide Awa/Rowan Tree
• Tipperary/Pack up Troubles/Dolly Grey
• The Bride’s a Bonny Thing
• Slieve Aughty /New Caledonia /Thistle of Scotland

Polkas

• Buttered Peas/Grandfather’s
• Chieftains 3 Polkas
• Dorset Four Hand/Jimmy Allen/Salmon Tails
• I’ll Tell me Ma/Rare Bog, Rattling Bog
• John Ryan’s/Johnny Leary’s/Ryans again
• Tavern in the Town
• La Russe/Jenny Lind
• La Schottische/ Fred Pidgeon’s
• Maguire’s Favourite/Maggie in the Wood
• Over the Hills/Galopede
• Sloe/Bonny Kate
• Tip Top Polka/Walter Bulwer2/Walter Bulwer1
• Galopede (48)
• Silverton Polka

Reels & Rants

• Cripple Creek/Old Joe Clark
• Dashing White Sargeant/My Love She’s but a Lassie Yet
• Mountain Road/Cooley’s Reel/Silver Spear
• Nancy/Girl I Left Behind Me/Rakes of Mallow
• Soldier’s Joy/Fairy Dance
• Trows/Spootiskerry/New Rigged Ship
• Whinham’s Reel/ The Herd on the Hill /Because He Was a Bonny Lad
• Eightsome Set – Trow’s Reel/Miss McLeod/New Rigged Ship/Soldier’s Joy/Fairy Dance
• Speed the Plough

Slip Jigs

• Rocky Road/Another Jig/Foxhunter’s Jig
• Sir Roger de Coverley/Drops of Brandy
• Snowy Path/Foxhunter’s Jig

Waltzes

• Banks and Braes/Tramps and Hawkers
• Man in the Moon/Daisy Daisy
• Neil’s Waltz/Fakenham Fair
• Planxty Irwin/Tommy Bhetty’s/Munster Cloak
• South Wind/Fanny Power
• Margaret’s Waltz/Dark Island
• St Bernard’s Waltz

Other Stuff

• Sonny’s Mazurka Set
• Warsoviana (Shoo the Donkey)
• Djatchko Kolo (Circle Dance)
• Tarantella Napolitana (couple dance)
• Laird of Drumblair (Strathspey & Reel)
• Orange & Blue/The Smith’s A Gallant Fireman (Schottische)
• Mudgee Schottische/Rigs of Marlow (Schottische)

Trad Songs

• A Man’s A Man for A’ That
• All For Me Grog
• Black Velvet Band
• Curragh of Kildare
• Dirty Old Town
• Dundee Weaver
• The Fox
• Galway Bay
• I’ll Tell Me Ma
• Irish Rover
• Johnny Sands/Tenpenny Bit
• Leaving of Liverpool
• Mairi’s Wedding
• Murshin Durkin
• New York Girls
• Nutting Girl
• Paddy Lay Back
• South Australia
• Star of the County Down
• Sweet Nightingale
• Whiskey in the Jar
• Wild Mountain Thyme
• Wild Rover

Pogues Covers

• Dirty Old Town
• If I Should Fall From Grace With God
• Irish Rover
• Fairytale of New York
• Sally MacLennane
• Streams of Whiskey

Van Morrisson Covers

• Brown Eyed Girl
• I’ll Tell Me Ma
• Mairi’s Wedding
• Star of the County Down

Country Covers

• Country Roads
• Achy Breaky Heart
• Stay Young
• You’re My Best Friend
• Tulsa Time

First Dance Covers

• Fly me to the Moon
• When You Say Nothing At All
• Wonderful Tonight
• What a Beautiful Day