Valentine’s Ceilidh – a New Tradition for SAMS & Argyll
Way back in the halcyon days of early 2025, a shiny new Local Coordinator was confronted with the most peculiar of things: an abstract ceilidh! Nothing to do with Pollock or Kandinsky, but ephemeral and conceptual, nonetheless. There was to be a ceilidh, in late-January or early February, but there was no venue, nor in fact any band, actually booked. After briefly contemplating running with this as an exciting new art form, the aforementioned LC (dear reader, it was me – I have started writing this in third-person and now I can’t stop) made the wise decision that the core joy of a ceilidh is its physicality. There were phone calls and emails and, dare I say it, an unhealthy amount of caffeine, and a few hours later the first HISA Valentine’s Ceilidh was booked!
It was joyously held on 14th Feb 2025, at the Argyllshire Gathering Halls, and was rather a lot of fun. Over 40 students came along and spun around cheerfully for several hours. I felt old, but I am alright with that!
2026 rolled around and, dear reader, the LC was prepared! This time the decision was made to go bigger, and the Main Hall at the Corran Halls was booked. The same band were hired (Michael Garvin and the Ardmhor Ceilidh Band – check them out here), as they had been so very excellent. Tickets were a mere £9, and the event ran for three hours on 13th February, making this technically the ‘nearly’ Valentine’s Ceilidh.
Now at all events, especially one with live music, there is that that moment of fear when the band starts playing to an empty dance floor! Were people going to dance, or was there going to be an empty floor, yawning its vastness at an increasingly awkward feeling group of students?
Thankfully that lasted all of 3 seconds! The music started and so did the dancing! 57 joyous students span and danced and generally caused glorious chaos. The feeling of camaraderie was infectious, and there were many massive smiles and slightly sweaty faces. Some people knew every step for every dance, whilst for others this was their first ceilidh. No matter, as through the guidance of the band and their fellow students, everyone was able to get involved.
How do you finish a ceilidh? Why with Auld Lang Syne of course! It is not just for Hogmanay, you know. It is always a bit emotional, though.
Who is coming to the 2027 HISA Valentine’s Ceilidh, then?