Ceilidh (pronounced kei-li) is not an English word; in fact, it’s Gaelic. Gaelic was the original language of Scotland and Ireland. Nowadays, you’ll hear Irish Gaelic spoken in Ireland, but you won’t hear Scottish Gaelic spoken much in Scotland. In fact, they only speak it in the Highlands.
Here is a well-known, traditional Scottish song, called Loch [1] Lomond:
By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes,
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond,
Where me and my true love were ever wont to gae,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.
Oh, you tak’ the high road and I’ll tak’ the low road,
And I’ll be in Scotland afore ye,
But me and my true love will never meet again,
on the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.
At the end of the evening, you can join in with everyone when they sing Auld Lang Syne, written by Robert Burns, Scotland’s most famous poet:
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of Auld Lang Syne?
For Auld Lang Syne, my dear
For Auld Lang Syne
We’ll tak’ a cup o’ kindness yet
For the sake of Auld Lang Syne.
[1] lake
