# Cèilidh
A **cèilidh** ([Scottish Gaelic](https://www.edgepedia.org/scottish-gaelic); Irish **céilí**, pronounced kay-lee) is an informal social gathering with folk music, singing, dancing, and storytelling, associated especially with Scotland and Ireland.[1](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/ceilidh) In its modern, most widespread form it is a participatory dance event at which a caller teaches figures to dancers of any experience level, but the word originally denoted little more than a social visit or evening of talk.[2](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/ceilidh) • [3](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ceilidh)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Definition | An informal social gathering with folk music, singing, dancing, and storytelling, especially in Scotland and Ireland[1](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/ceilidh) |
| Etymology | From Scottish Gaelic *cèilidh* and Irish *céilidhe* (modern *céilí*), from Old Irish *céilide* "visit, visiting", from *céile* "companion"[4](https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/ceilidh) |
| English adoption | Late 19th century[4](https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/ceilidh) |
| Modern dance format | Couples dancing in circles or sets, groups of eight people, to traditional music[2](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/ceilidh) |
| Related compounds | *Ceilidh band*, a band playing traditional Scottish dance music; *ceilidh house* (Gaelic *taigh-ceilidh*), a house much visited where ceilidhs are held[5](https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd00088310) |
| Regional reach | Ireland, Scotland, and parts of Canada, chiefly Prince Edward Island, use the word for a gathering at which singing and storytelling are the usual entertainment[3](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ceilidh) |
## Meaning and origin
The word entered English in the late 19th century from Scottish Gaelic *ceilidh* and Irish *célidhe*, the earlier form of modern Irish *céilí*; both go back to [Old Irish](https://www.edgepedia.org/old-irish) *céilide*, "visit, visiting", a derivative of *céile*, "companion".[4](https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/ceilidh) The literal sense survives in the observation that the word means "visit" in Gaelic, and the earliest ceilidhs were simple parties without any music or dancing, or informal social visits.[3](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ceilidh) [Wiktionary](https://www.edgepedia.org/wiktionary) traces the chain further back, through Old Irish *célide* to Proto-Celtic *kēiliyos*, "companion; servant", possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ḱey-*, "to settle".[6](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ceilidh)
The [Dictionary](https://www.edgepedia.org/dictionary) of the Scots Language records the word as "a social evening with music, singing, story-telling, etc." and notes that the Gaelic spelling was readopted when the word became popular again in the Lowlands c.1930.[5](https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd00088310) The same entry records the compounds *ceilidh band* and *ceilidh house*, and the Gaelic compound *taigh-ceilidh*, "ceilidh-house", as a mark of the practice's general recognition.[5](https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd00088310)
## The modern dance event
Nowadays, many people picture a ceilidh as a big dance taking place in a village hall or hotel, frequently organized to mark occasions like a wedding, a birthday, or holidays including Christmas and Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year's Eve.[7](https://www.emc-imc.org/fileadmin/5_Press_news/Music_N_Heritage/Snapshots_on_Music_and_Heritage_by_the_European_Music_Council.pdf) As a dance event, a ceilidh is social and participatory: couples dance in circles or in sets, groups of eight people, to traditional music.[2](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/ceilidh) The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society describes it as one of Scotland's best-loved social traditions, held at weddings, festivals, and community events from village halls and local schools to international venues, bringing people of different generations and cultures together.[8](https://rscds.org/what-is-a-ceilidh/)
The music is supplied by a ceilidh band, defined in the Dictionary of the Scots Language as a band which plays traditional Scottish dance music.[5](https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd00088310) Modern ceilidhs can feature fiddlers, singers, flutes, accordions, and other instruments.[3](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ceilidh) In Ireland the corresponding group setting includes the céilí band, one of the standard formats, alongside the informal music session or *seisiún*, in which traditional music is heard.[9](https://comhaltas.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/trad-is-fabClass-Workbook-English-211011.pdf)
## Regional usage
British dictionaries define the ceilidh primarily as a Scottish and Irish institution.[1](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/ceilidh) American dictionaries add a broader sense used in Ireland, Scotland, and parts of Canada, chiefly [Prince Edward Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/prince-edward-island), where a ceilidh is a party or gathering at which singing and storytelling are the usual forms of entertainment.[3](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ceilidh) The popularity of the dance-party form extends beyond Britain and Ireland to the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.[3](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ceilidh)
In Scotland the related institution of the *taigh cèilidh*, the ceilidh house, continues to be adapted: a [University of Glasgow](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-glasgow) project describes "a contemporary twist on the taigh cèilidh" that connects the practice to current thinking on participatory and community arts.[10](https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_934911_smxx.pdf)
## References
1. [Ceilidh, Collins English Dictionary](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/ceilidh)
2. [Ceilidh, Cambridge English Dictionary](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/ceilidh)
3. [Ceilidh, Dictionary.com](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ceilidh)
4. [Ceilidh noun, Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary](https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/ceilidh)
5. [Ceilidh, Dictionary of the Scots Language (DOST)](https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd00088310)
6. [Ceilidh, Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ceilidh)
7. [Snapshots on Music and Heritage, European Music Council](https://www.emc-imc.org/fileadmin/5_Press_news/Music_N_Heritage/Snapshots_on_Music_and_Heritage_by_the_European_Music_Council.pdf)
8. [What is a Ceilidh, Royal Scottish Country Dance Society](https://rscds.org/what-is-a-ceilidh/)
9. [Traditional Irish Music, Song & Dance workbook, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann](https://comhaltas.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/trad-is-fabClass-Workbook-English-211011.pdf)
10. [UNESCO RILA publication, University of Glasgow](https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_934911_smxx.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Social and folk dance*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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