Ceilidh band
Thistle & Thorn
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Thistle & Thorn Celtic Ceilidh Band Reel 2025
About Thistle & Thorn
Kent's favourite Ceilidh band. We will keep your guests dancing with a night of pure Ceilidh or a mix of Celtic and popular party tunes!
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Ceilidh band
Canterbury
Public liability insurance of £10 million
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Thistle & Thorn
10 verified reviews
Thistle & Thorn's Reviews
From customers:
TD
Thomas D
1 month ago, for a Birthday party in Maidstone
HC
Hannah C
3 months ago, for a Birthday party in Canterbury
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Thistle & Thorn's Song list
Mairi's Wedding - Traditional
The Gay Gordons - Traditional
Scotland the Brave - Traditional
Wild Mountain Thyme - Traditional (often associated with The Corries or The Silencers)
Blarney Polka - Traditional
Galway Girl - Steve Earle
Cock o' the North - Traditional
The Mason's Apron - Traditional
The High Road to Linton - Traditional
St. Anne's Reel - Traditional
The Wind That Shakes the Barley - Traditional
Skye Boat Song - Traditional
Amazing Grace (Celtic arrangement) - Traditional
The Flying Scotsman - Traditional
Turkey in the Straw - Traditional
Oh Susanna (Celtic arrangement) - Traditional
A Trip to Ballymena - Traditional
The Waves of Tory - Traditional
The Bridge of Athlone - Traditional
The Irish Washerwoman - Traditional
Rakes of Mallow - Traditional
Planxty Irwin - Turlough O'Carolan
Carolan's Draught - Turlough O'Carolan
Carolan's Concerto - Turlough O'Carolan
The Butterfly - Traditional
The Kesh Jig - Traditional
Out on the Ocean - Traditional
Spootiskerry - Traditional
Fair Maid of Perth - Traditional
Miss McLeod's Reel - Traditional
The Shetland Fiddler - Traditional
Da Slockit Light - Traditional
Foula Reel - Traditional
The Atholl Highlanders' March - Traditional
The Brown Haired Maid - Traditional
Morrison's Jig - Traditional
The Ten Penny Bit - Traditional
Brenda Stubbert's Reel - Brenda Stubbert
Cape Breton Fiddler's Welcome to Shetland - Traditional
The Gravel Walks - Traditional
The Humours of Ballyconnell - Traditional
Paddy Carey's Fortune - Traditional
The Star of Munster - Traditional
The Munster Buttermilk - Traditional
Blarney Pilgrim - Traditional
The Boys of Bluehill - Traditional
The Congress Reel - Traditional
Cooley's Reel - Traditional
Devaney's Goat - Traditional
Earl's Chair - Traditional
Farrell O'Gara - Traditional
Finnegan's Wake (Instrumental version) - Traditional
The Galway Hornpipe - Traditional
The Rights of Man - Traditional
Harvest Home - Traditional
Haste to the Wedding - Traditional
Jig of Slurs - Traditional
Lark in the Morning - Traditional
Maggie Pickens - Traditional
Off She Goes - Traditional
Rakish Paddy - Traditional
Saddle the Pony - Traditional
Sean Ryan's Reel - Traditional
Tar Road to Sligo - Traditional
Toss the Feathers - Traditional
Tripping Up the Stairs - Traditional
Whiskey Before Breakfast - Traditional
The Wild Rover (Instrumental version) - Traditional
Ye Jacobites by Name (Instrumental version) - Traditional
Auld Lang Syne (Celtic arrangement) - Traditional
Flowers of Edinburgh - Traditional
Hooligan's March - Traditional
The Keel Row - Traditional
Loch Lomond (Instrumental version) - Traditional
My Love She's But a Lassie Yet - Traditional
Niel Gow's Lament for the Death of His Second Wife - Niel Gow
O'Carolan's Welcome - Turlough O'Carolan
Roslin Castle - Traditional
She Moves Through the Fair (Instrumental version) - Traditional
South Wind - Traditional
The Cliffs of Moher - Traditional
Down by the Glenside (The Bold Fenian Men) (Instrumental version) - Traditional
Give Me Your Hand - Turlough O'Carolan
Hewlett - Turlough O'Carolan
Lord Inchiquin - Turlough O'Carolan
Si Bheag Si Mhor - Turlough O'Carolan
Ed Sheeran - Perfect
Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl
Etta James - At Last
Elvis Presley - Can't Help Falling in Love
John Legend - All of Me
Jason Mraz - I'm Yours
Christina Perri - A Thousand Years
Ben E. King - Stand by Me
The Beatles - Here Comes the Sun
The Beatles - All You Need Is Love
Frank Sinatra - Fly Me to the Moon
Nat King Cole - Unforgettable
Louis Armstrong - What a Wonderful World
Adele - Make You Feel My Love
Ray LaMontagne - You Are the Best Thing
Jack Johnson - Better Together
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
Colbie Caillat - Lucky (feat. Jason Mraz)
Train - Marry Me
Bruno Mars - Marry You
Lonestar - Amazed
Keith Urban - Making Memories of Us
Tim McGraw - It's Your Love
Shania Twain - You're Still the One
Dixie Chicks - Cowboy Take Me Away
The Lumineers - Ho Hey
Mumford & Sons - I Will Wait
Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Bon Iver - Skinny Love
Angus & Julia Stone - Big Jet Plane
The Shins - Such Great Heights
Iron & Wine - Flightless Bird, American Mouth
First Aid Kit - Emmylou
Lord Huron - The Night We Met
Vance Joy - Riptide
George Ezra - Budapest
Hozier - Take Me to Church (Consider the tone for the right moment)
Kodaline - The One
James Blunt - You're Beautiful
Coldplay - Yellow
Coldplay - A Sky Full of Stars
U2 - Beautiful Day
Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
Keane - Somewhere Only We Know
The Killers - Mr. Brightside (For a more upbeat moment)
Florence + The Machine - You've Got the Love
Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man (Energetic for dancing)
The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) (A classic for getting everyone dancing)
ABBA - Dancing Queen
Stevie Wonder - Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
Earth, Wind & Fire - September
Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On
Al Green - Let's Stay Together
Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
Sam Cooke - Wonderful World
Bill Withers - Lovely Day
Ben Harper - Forever
Paolo Nutini - Last Request
Amy Winehouse - Valerie
Duffy - Mercy
Michael Bublé - Everything
Josh Groban - You Raise Me Up
Alicia Keys - If I Ain't Got You
John Mayer - XO (Beyoncé cover)
Taylor Swift - Lover
Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
Dan + Shay - Speechless
Luke Combs - Beautiful Crazy
Chris Stapleton - Tennessee Whiskey
Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel
Mumford & Sons - The Cave
The Civil Wars - From This Valley
Of Monsters and Men - King and Lionheart
Bon Iver - Holocene
Angus & Julia Stone - Mango Tree
The Paper Kites - Bloom
Daughter - Landfill
Ben Howard - Only Love
James Bay - Let It Go
José González - Heartbeats
Passenger - Let Her Go
The Goo Goo Dolls - Iris
Lifehouse - You and Me
Thistle & Thorn's Prices
Last updated: 2025
Note: prices may vary based on travel distance. For an exact quote, click “Check availability”.
Standard Prices
4 musicians
Performance duration | Price | |
Up to 1 hour | £1750 | |
Up to 2 hours | £2250 | |
Up to 3 hours | £2750 |
Packages
Wedding ceremony4 musicians
This includes music before the service begins, music during the signing of the register, and music as guests leave.
£1000
Drinks reception4 musicians
Two performances of up to 45 mins each during your drinks reception
£1875
Wedding ceremony + Drinks reception + Dinner4 musicians
- Music before the service begins, music during the signing of the register, and music as guests leave.
- 2 x 45 min performances at the drinks reception.
- 2 x 45 min performances as dinner is being served.
£2750
Add-ons
Acoustic Solo Set
+£500
DJ set
+£500
Customer questions
What do your clients love most about your performances?
Our fiddle player!
Which venues have you performed at in the past?
Leeds Castle and many wedding venues!
Which artists have you been most influenced by?
Craig Paton, Tom Orr
What is the most high profile gig you've performed?
Leeds Castle. Just a wedding, but it was real fancy!
Can you perform covers?
Yes, no problem. We have a range of modern covers we're happy to perform in addition to the traditional Ceilidh music
Do you have different line-up options?
Absolutely, just ask! We often include additional piano, flute...
What if my timings change after I've booked you?
We always try our best to be flexible to help ensure your event runs as smoothly as possible. If timings change slightly in the run up to the event just let us know
Can you provide an iPod/DJ service before and between your sets?
Absolutely. This is a really popular request and we actually offer this service for free. If you'd like a DJ service via our PA after the final set until the venue closes, we provide this for an additional £400
How much time do you need to set up?
We usually set up about 1 to 1.5 hours before the performance time. As soon as our PA is set up we can provide a free playlist service to help set the atmosphere and get your guests ready for our live performance!
Do you provide a caller?
Yes we do! We have a fantastic caller as part of our Ceilidh band so just let us know whether you already have one, or don't need one, so we can adjust our line-up accordingly!
Can I pick the songs you play from the set list?
Our set lists are crafted from countless performances and learning what works best to ensure guests dance and have an amazing time. However, we're definitely happy to chat through and make sure we find what works for your event.
Is all of the equipment (e.g. PA) included in your quote?
Our PA and lighting system is included in your quote. We usually require a minimum of 4m by 3m space to perform
Can you learn song requests before the event?
If a song isn't included in our song list there may still be a chance we already know it. If there is a special song you'd like us to learn we are happy to do this for you. There is a fee of £30 for this service to take into account rehearsal times etc.
Musicianship
Genres:
Ceilidh, Folk, Traditional Irish folk, Traditional Scottish folk, Traditional English folk
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Event types:
Wedding, Wedding proposal, Funeral / Memorial service, Hotel / Restaurant event, Private event, Corporate event, Charity event, Concert, Theatre / Show, Cruise, Burns night, New Year's Eve, Birthday party
See all event types