What an amazing day!

So did you make it down to CeltFest on Sunday? If you did then a huge thank you for being part of such an amazing audience! We hope you had as fantastic a day (as we did!) and that you enjoyed the stunning performances of music and dance celebrating different elements of Celtic culture.

Kellys had the pleasure of opening up the day with a couple of sets and we were thrilled that our second set was with the larger line up of the band when our good friends Kate Perry (on flute and whistles) and Emmett Leneghan (on button accordion) joined us for people to hear our full six piece band flying through some jigs and reels

The young ladies of Glendarragh Academy of Irish dancing captivated everyone with their high kicks and lightening fast footwork when they took to the stage. From the youngest to the older dancers the skill shone out as did their enjoyment on dancing for us all. It's no surprise that the dance academy are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year as they continue to be successful in all arenas.

But if you want to really make a powerful entrance then you would be very hard pressed to beat the sight and the sound of Nottinghamshire Pipes and Drums who negotiated their way through the crowd and the marquee as they processed up to the stage- without missing a note or a beat!! We were excited to have them join us for this year's CeltFest hot on the heels of their multiple standing ovations as part of Andre Rieu's concert at the Motorpoint Arena last week.

With a programme of marches, jigs and reels they delighted everyone- with a very poignant moment for Kellys Heroes as a lone piper played Hector The Hero and we remembered our piper, Campbell Connet.

Our final act of the day were the very polished and highly accomplished duo Thorpe and Morrison. We had Harry and Sean play for us at CeltFest a few years ago and were delighted to invite them back again. Their musicianship is wonderful and they delighted us with some great self penned tunes and a well crafted and funny song written by Harry Thorpe about scammers but my highlight was a beautiful arrangement of Shane McGowan's song 'A Rainy Night in Soho' which Sean sang for us.

CeltFest means a great deal to us and to The Victoria Hotel as we continue to celebrate live music and to carry on holding events such as these in tribute to our dear friend, Neil Kelso.

Without Neil none of this would be possible so we raise a glass to him today on what was his birthday and remember all the good times and truly amazing gigs.

Sláinte

CeltFest 2023

Just under 3 weeks to go until CELTFEST 2023!!

Yes, you heard me right, CeltFest 2023 is approaching fast.

This year we will be holding the event on SUNDAY 14TH MAY at The Victoria Hotel, Beeston from 2pm in the covered beer garden.

All music is free of charge with donations going to Nottingham Trent University’s world renowned
John Van Geest Cancer Research Foundation.

We've got an amazing programme for you with Kellys Heroes getting the event underway from 2pm

followed by the the local band with the big sound, Nottinghamshire Pipes and Drums hot footing it from their appearance at the Motorpoint Arena concert with Andre Rieu.

The Glendarragh Academy of Irish Dancing who, like Kellys, will see the anniversary of their 40th year in 2023 will have you spellbound as their dancers whirl around the stage before the amazing

Thorpe and Morrison make a much anticipated return to CeltFest after taking the Vic by storm a few years ago!

Thorpe and Morrison-
“a spellbinding mix of old and modern, both traditional and forward looking” Bright Young Folk.

Kellys Heroes-
“where fun and footstomping meets soulful and stirring- not to be missed!” The Northern Echo.

Nottinghamshire Pipes and Drums-
“stunning performances- most recently with Andre Rieu at the Motorpoint Arena.”

Glendarragh Academy of Irish Dancing-
“40 years of promotingIrish culture through dance”

Not your typical St George's Day...

I bet none of you spent St George's Day like we did!

Okay, hands up who would've thought to book an Irish band to play in an English village for an Australian landlord celebrating Anzac day on the 23rd April Well why not!!

We took a trip down to the village of Denford in Northants, a journey we've made a few times before in the last few years, to play in a pub called The Cock Inn for a weekend of celebrations as landlord Jayme combined the pub's beer festival with his Anzac Day event and most importantly his dad, Neville's, birthday. I'm not sure Jayme could have crammed much more into just one weekend- or many more people into the pub to be honest!

To find a village pub in the heart of the midlands with so many Aussie accents in it has to be one of the strangest experiences and it takes you off guard when someone starts to speak to you and a broad Aussie dialect issues forth . You'll not find a more friendly, out going bunch with a sense of humour that takes no prisoners and we love playing for Jayme and his family, friends and pub regulars.

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Epic session with Mike McGoldrick and John Doyle!

Just a week ago and ahead of their concert at The Lakeside Arts Centre Mike McGoldrick and Johnny Doyle were keen to have a few tunes. What followed was an amazing, hastily-arranged session at The Victoria Hotel in Beeston where Kellys played both individually and collectively with Mike and Johnny and around a dozen fellow musicians. Absolutely wonderful music!

Now ... given that we've played with Mike - and Mike has played with Mark Knopfler (and Kellys have played for Mark Knopfler!) - and Mark Knopfler has played with Bob Dylan - that makes THREE degrees of separation between Kellys and Dylan!

A busy month ahead as we head into March...

March is the busiest month of our year, as you can imagine, with so many people wanting to celebrate St Patrick's Day and we absolutely love the variety of venues and audiences that it brings with it

We always hit the ground running when the first weekend of March comes around and this year has been no exception. Our gig at The Royal Oak in Westwood on Friday night was a brilliant return to a wonderful pub where the landlord, David, and his wonderful team are so enthusiastic about Irish music and give a wonderfully warm welcome to people as they come through the doors.

The audience were a mixture of people who had heard of Kellys Heroes and never seen us play live plus faces who have been following the band since the late 80's- and they're still taking ownership of that dance floor like it was yesterday

As is the norm these days there were many mobile phones out during the night, recording favourite songs and tunes as we powered through some fast and furious old favourites alongside some of our more recent additions to the sets.

During one of these sets of tunes, Tony left the stage to do a quick check on the sound and not wanting to get in the way of one fella who was recording at the time, he dipped underneath the camera. When he came back towards the stage, the guy had lowered the level of his phone to get a better angled shot of the band so Tony tried to be considerate and took to his hands and knees to get past- what Tony didn't know (but we could see) is that the guy obviously found it as funny as we did and so took some footage of him crawling on the floor

If that video ever sees the light of day I'd just like to point out that he wasn't drunk at the time- honest!

Thank you to Nick Morland for taking charge of the camera for us during the second set- cheers Nick!

RIP Seamus Begley

Kellys have had many heroes over the years, in all walks of life, and it is fitting that we pay tribute to them where we can.

Lovers of Irish music will be familiar with that great dynasty of Irish musicians and singers the Begley family from Kerry. Sadly, on Monday they lost that giant of a man - in every sense - Seamus. His box playing, especially of polkas and slides, was wonderful and his voice, in both English and Irish, brought many venues to a hush.

I saw him playing with his old side-kick, Steve Cooney, in West Belfast 25 years ago on the back of a lorry and he brought the place to a stand-still.

Have a listen to the pair of them on their now ancient recording, Meitheal, or find Seamus on YouTube and raise a parting glass to the one and only Seamus Begley.

Patrick.

Happy New Year!

2022 was a busy year, wasn't it!

According to Google we drove over halfway round the globe in 2022 to get too and from gigs and I refuse to look at how many hours it tells me that we've spent in the car but to spend time with you all, and each other, makes it so worthwhile

Even though the band is approaching it's 40th year (yes, you heard me right!) we have played many new cities, towns and villages over the last twelve months performing at festivals, folk clubs, pubs and clubs, house and garden parties. We've played for you for your weddings, christenings, birthday parties and to help you celebrate the lives of loved ones you've lost and it has been our privilege!

So from Kellys Heroes to all of our friends, to everyone who has danced, clapped and sung along with us, to all of the people who work so hard in the venues where Live Music is supported and celebrated we say thank you and we wish you all a very

Happy New Year! Enjoy this selection of photos from the last twelve months and from various parts of the UK.

We hope they bring back some good memories.

Here's to 2023, whatever it brings- Here we go!

Kellys Heroes 2022 round up

Colour Friday is here!!

Happy Colour Friday everyone!

What is Colour Friday?

Well, Colour Friday is an annual alternative to Black Friday and today's the day!!

Why? It's to remind us all to celebrate the colour and creativity that small businesses bring to the UK so before you start bending those cards and sending all your hard earned pennies to the big corporations, why not take a look at what small, local, independent businesses have on offer.

If you want to give someone the gift of music then head over to our online store for some special offers!