Barn dance revival at pub « Express & Star

Barn dance revival at pub

Kayleigh 1 RH 01 Pub ceilidh sessions, which ran for 30 years, are to be revived after a gap of more than a decade.

The monthly barn dances at the Hollybush pub, Penn Road, Penn, Wolverhampton, started in the 1960s and continued without a break until the mid 1990s when the pub was refurbished.

Now ceilidhs, with a caller and live music, are to be brought back by a folk band to the pub where they used to be held. Pennie Gillis, who plays melodeon in the New Corona Band, is behind the move.

Living 500 yards from the pub, she remembers the ceilidhs from first time around and says there was something special about them. “I’ve thought for a long time it would be good to get them going again. They were a brilliant thing, everyone on the folk cicuit knew about the Hollybush ceilidhs.

“I happened to be passing there recently so I went in and found out that the room was a lot more affordable than it used to be.”

Pennie, a painter and writer, says the band, including husband Clif on Appalachian dulcimer, meets to practice regularly at The Beacon Hotel, Sedgley.

The band, which raises thousands for charity, plans to charge £5 a session, although the cost on the first night will be £4.50. They will be held on the first Wednesday of the month, starting in June.

See Also: