How far ahead do I need to make a booking for St Patrick's day music?Because it's the busiest time of the year for Irish entertainers we strongly recommend that you book up as far ahead as you possibly can. The amount of acts available is never enough this time of year so to avoid missing out contact us in lots of time. We suggest at least six months ahead of your function. >Top What does a typical Irish act consist of? It varies, so the best way to find out is to visit the following pages for more specific information. >Top What areas does your agency cover and do your acts travel? We cover almost anywhere. Many of our acts are based in the London and home counties but we have others based in various regions of the country. We can send acts literally anywhere to venues and functions in both the UK and abroad. We work on the principle of 'distance is no object'. We've recently assisted with the supply of Irish entertainment for a venue in Chengdu in China and for a Japanese cruise liner company! >Top How long does an Irish band play for on St Patrick's day? On St Patrick's day this is usually for 3 x 45 minute sets during a 3 hour period. >Top Do they supply their own PA system? Yes. All acts are self contained and provide all of their own equipment. In some cases where a venue already has an in house sound system they will use this provided it's all arranged and agreed beforehand. In some bookings the musicians perform acoustically without any PA. This is typical with Irish traditional 'Sessions'. >Top Can I go and hear them perform before I book them? If it's possible we'll arrange that for you but it depends on how far ahead the date of your function is. If it's soon then probably not. We'll try and arrange for an MP3 sampler to be sent to you. The simplest and quickest way to get an idea of how some of our acts sound is via our samplers page. >Top Do your acts play their instruments live or do they use backing tracks? Because Irish music is essentially an acoustic based type of music the use of 'Karaoke' type backing tracks is almost unheard of. With pop orientated Irish bands for some functions such as weddings they are sometimes used but only sparingly and more to augment the act rather than substitute real live music. >Top My party is a happy event and I don’t want a lot of sad and dreary songs played nor too many traditional jigs and reels, can you make sure they keep it lively and happy? >Top Yes, of course. Although many popular and classic Irish songs are sad and slow, (Fields of Athenry, Grace, Four Green Fields, etc,)they need to be played sparingly along with all the lively stuff for parties such as 'Whisky in the Jar', 'The Irish Rover', etc. Traditional music such as Jigs and Reels is also something that works better with a crowd when played sparingly. Our acts are all used to playing to a crowd so they are aware of this issue and arrange their sets accordingly. Most good acts watch the crowds reaction and keep it all lively and flowing. >Top I will have lots of English guests at my party so I don’t want to offend anyone with any Rebel songs, can you make sure this isn’t an issue? Rebel songs are not played at any functions or gigs by our acts unless the booker has specifically asked for them, so rest assured that won’t be a problem! >Top Do the acts play requested songs on the night? Certainly. However, if it's essential to you that a specific song is played on the night it's best to let us know at the time of booking ands we'll organise (where possible) for the act to perform it for you. We can't of course guarantee that all of our acts will have every Irish song available on their songlist! >Top Would I have any say in the general list of songs played on the night? Yes, it’s a good idea and normal procedure for the act to consult the booker on an appropriate playlist for the night. For example, it wouldn't be advisable to play Irish rebel songs at a wedding! Neither is it a good idea to play too many slow and sombre ballads, although the night probably wouldn't feel the same without the odd tearjerker classic such as; ‘Danny Boy’ or ‘The Fields Of Athenry’.
>Top I run an Irish venue abroad can you supply me with an Irish act? We can supply Irish performers to travel anywhere provided the terms and conditions are suitable. The most feasible set up is where an Irish music bar can provide accommodation and an in house PA system with a realistic fee. If you have an enquiry for an Irish entertainment act to play abroad just fill out our enquiry form and we promise to get back you promptly. >Top How do your acts dress when performing? Depends on the event. Smart dress or casual is the norm. If it's a 'dressy' occasion the act will dress aptly. >Top How is my booking confirmed and paid for?
Once your booking is made and all of your needs clarified, we will put all of the agreed terms and details onto a simply understood agreement which is normally ratified by a deposit and signed copy of the agreement. This constitutes a legal contract between you and the act that will give you the peace of mind that everything is confirmed in writing. We normally accept payment via cheque or bank transfer. We can also accept deposit payments via credit cards, switch, solo or maestro. The balance of the contracted fee is normally paid in cash on the day to the act. Where requested we can arrange for the entire cost to be made via your credit or debit card.
>Top
Are your fees all inclusive? Are there any 'extras'? The fees quoted are what you will pay in total unless there is an extra travel cost involved, in which case you will be advised of this at the time of booking and it will be included clearly in your booking agreement. Travel costs are kept to a minimum. If the booking is long distance and an overnight stay is required for the act then this will also be negotiated separately with the booker and included in the agreement. We have no hidden costs and we do NOT charge any booking or arrangement fees. VAT is NOT applicable unless the act is VAT registered, which is rare and if they were we'd advise you of that at the time of booking.
>Top
How do I make a booking? Just call us on 0845 226 5324, fill out our online enquiry form or email us . Either way we promise to respond to your enquiry very promptly! When you make the booking we provide you with a 'plainspeak' agreement that will include all of the terms and conditions applicable to your booking. You simply check it through, assuming it's all correct then sign and return it to us either by scanning and emailing it or via post. We'll normally ask for a deposit that's deductible from the agreed fee of which the balance is normally payable on the night.
>Top
I may also need Irish dancers and or an Irish disco, can you arrange it all for me? Absolutely. We can coordinate the event for you and take the hassle and headache out of it all by arranging everything. We can also provide a PA for hire at the function if required. To find out more on all of the Irish musical entertainment that we can provide, please visit our home page and visit the various links on our menu.
>Top
Do you charge me an extra fee for arranging the booking? No. As an agency (in the vast majority of cases) we make our cut via commission paid to us by the act from their overall fee. If there were any booking or management fee involved this would be negotiated by separate arrangement with you and included clearly within the terms and conditions of any such agreement.
>Top
I need to discuss this with you, can you call me? Yes, we'd be glad to. If you wish to make a booking enquiry please either fill out our enquiry form which asks you for your telephone number or call our office on 0845 226 5324 (Local call rate). You can also email us directly with any specific question you may have.
>Top | 
