Irish Céilí Mór @ Northfield Eagles Club

If you like traditional Celtic music and/or any type of social dancing from contra to Scandinavian to polka, you're sure to enjoy Friday's céilí mór starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Northfield Eagles Club, 304 Water Street South (just across the bridge from Bridge Square downtown). There is no cost to attend and free-will donations will be accepted for the musicians and the teacher. All ages are welcome!

Making the evening even better, the Northfield American Legion is having their weekly Fish Fry at the Eagles Club that evening from 5-8 p.m. Begin your evening by eating a delicious baked or fried fish dinner with salad and fixin's for under $10 per person!

A céilí is a head-spinning, foot-twirling social gathering featuring Irish music and social dance, which is a living tradition popular throughout Ireland as well as in Canada, the United States, Australia, Europe and other countries.

Tim McAndrew of Minneapolis will be teaching and calling to live music provided by Twin Cities musicians Martin McHew and Tom Lockney, who will keep the dancers moving and feet tapping to the sounds of traditional Irish fiddle and accordion.

Some céilithe (plural of céilí) will only have céilí dancing, some will only have set dancing, and some will have a mixture. Friday's dance will feature both, hence the name "céilí mór". Wikipedia has more information about these styles of dances:

A céilí dance may be performed with as few as three people and as many as sixteen and can be danced with an unlimited number of couples in a long line or proceeding around in a circle. Céilí dances are often fast and complex. In a social setting, a céilí dance may be "called" -- that is, the upcoming steps are announced during the dance for the benefit of newcomers.

Set cances are folk dances of Ireland based on French quadrilles. Most are done in square sets of four couples and consist of several "figures," each of which has a number of parts. The music can be a reel, jig, slide or polka, but though types of tunes are frequently mixed within the set, only one type is used for a given figure.

Get a head start on your St. Patrick's Day celebrations. Spread the word and bring a friend!