About Squinty McGinty's Band
Squinty McGinty‘s Band are a four piece band comprising Fiddle, Guitar, Bass and Accordion, with vocals. For ceilidhs and barn-dances we will do the calling to lead the dancing.
We’re based in the Hampshire / Sussex area of Southern England and will happily travel anywhere in Hampshire, Dorset, Sussex, Wiltshire, Berkshire,Surrey and surrounding areas although we may charge a bit extra for travel where appropriate.
Since the band was performed around 2003 we have played for hundreds of barn dances, ceilidhs, weddings, Irish nights and Burns nights.
We are proud to have been the regular Irish band at the Glorious Goodwood horse racing festival each July since 2003 - come along to the ‘Far End Bar’ in the Lennox enclosure and say hello.
We also perform as ‘The Old Seadogs’, playing songs of the sea and tradiitional shanties for nautically themed events such as Trafalgar night.
Info
A barn-dance is ideal for making your wedding reception, anniversary party, social evening etc. a lively and memorable occasion.
We have played for literally hundreds, each is different but all allow your guests an opportunity to socialise in a way which they will remember with a smile for years to come.
Check out the videos on our Facebook or YouTube sites to get an idea of what goes on at our events.
We play for a whole evening, typically 7:30-10:30pm and we'll usually do two sets of around an hour and a quarter each with a 30 minute break in the middle, although we will fit in with your particular requirements.
For barn dances / ceilidhs we will handle the 'calling' to talk through each dance beforehand - no-one needs to be an expert, all that is required is a willingness to give it a go. We can arrange for a separate caller if you'd prefer although this will be an extra charge.
We’ll bring our own sound equipment , we just need somewhere close by to park and unload and around an hour and a quarter or so to set up before we play.
For outdoor events we do need a covered space for ourselves and the equipment - and a safe, earthed, electrical socket to plug our PA into, assuming you want to hear us!
Charges
Our charges are competitive. Typically around £500 per evening, although we may need to charge extra for travel depending on where the event is.
What our clients said
Thankyou again for being part of our day.. And for the video!! Love it, great memories. Feedback we’ve got from people saying how much they enjoyed the band and having something different to a dj at a wedding was a great touch.
Thankyou again,
Lauren – Selborne – April 2023
What a great evening that was! – Jacqui – Havant March 2023
Great night – Ruth – Havant March 2023
What a night! We were expecting it to be good but Squinty McGinty’s Band exceeded all expectations. It’s hard to find enough superlatives to describe what a fantastic evening you gave us yesterday after such a long absence of indoor events at our village hall. We all agreed you were bluddy magnificent! Your musical skills were awe-inspiring, voices melodious and the variety of tunes were so well-judged. As you might have noticed from your audience’s enthusiastic response, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening and let the hall with big smiles on their faces.
Thank you so much and hope to see you all again. – Penni, Conford, – March 2022
Thank you so much for the great entertainment you and the band provided for my “do” at Tuppenny Barn on Saturday. Everyone really enjoyed the evening and whether they were dancing or just admiring from the sidelines it certainly was the perfect way to mix everyone up. Please pass on my special thanks to your lovely caller, Helen, she was so patient with us all and I felt by the end that even I had grasped some of the simpler moves.
It was a really special evening for me and my family and friends and certainly exceeded my expectations in every way. – Lyn, Southbourne – Nov 2021
Once again, thank you and the band for a wonderful evening and accepting to play for us.
I’ve only received positive feedback about the music.. etc. – Trevor, Petersfield – August 2022
Thanks so much for coming along – we had a great day and loved introducing family and friends to a barn dance. Numerous people commented on how good you were, so thank you! – Elliott, Edenbridge, Kent August 2022
We had a fabulous time. So many of my family and friends still say to me it was “the last good event before the plague hit”! We were so lucky with the timing as we were out in lockdown a week later! You’ll always be my go to for a good old barn dance. Xx – Christina, Oving, W.Sussex – March 2020
Just to say a huge thank you to all of Squinty McGinty and Helen for making last night such a success.
It was a tremendous evening and many people have said how much they enjoyed it! ‘Til the next time – many thanks and regards. Jackie, East Preston West Sussex. – June 2019
Thanks again for a great evening on Saturday. You have made a lot of converts! – Alan, Rustington , W.Sussex – Sept 2018
The whole band was brilliant! We loved the great playing and also the tartan theme going on. Thanks again for your patience as we were running late. Many thanks. Alasdair and Bethany, Dunsfold, Surrey – July 2018
Gallery
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The Old Seadogs
‘The Old Seadogs’ are a four piece band (Fiddle, Guitar, Bass and Accordion plus vocals) performing shanties and other songs of the sea for nautically themed events.
We have performed several times in the great cabin on HMS Victory, and also for Trafalgar night celebrations on HMS Warrior, as well as Pickle Nights* in the naval establishments in the Portsmouth area such as Fort Blockhouse, HMS Collingwood, HMS Excellent, HMS Sultan and onboard HMS Prince of Wales in 2022.
Other events which we have been involved with include: Festival of the Sea, Portsmouth Dockyard - July 2005, Meet the Navy, Portsmouth Dockyard - July 2008, Crick Narrowboat Festival, Northampton - May 2009, , Hamble Food Fayre, Hamble Quay - September 2017 & September 2018, Portsmouth Dockyard Christmas Festival 2007 - 2019
* Whereas Trafalgar Night is celebrated by the officers of the Royal Navy, Warrant officers and senior ratings have their own ‘Pickle Night’ celebration around Nov 4th .
HMS Pickle was a schooner attached to Nelson’s fleet which was despatched to Falmouth after the battle with the news of the victory and of Nelson’s death.
November 4th marks the arrival of HMS Pickle in Falmouth .
Get in touch!
- squintymcgintysband@btinternet.com
- 01329 239430
- 07724 466299
See also the 'Adeste' multi instrumental duo site:
https://www.adeste.co.uk
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