Some of the best stories in Ireland began in a pub. The story of the Tulla Céilí Band is no different.
In 1946, a group of musicians gathered in Minogue’s Bar in the small village of Tulla, County Clare, to discuss a simple idea: forming a céilí band. That conversation started something that has lasted eight decades — and shows no signs of stopping.
Born in County Clare, Built to Last
The Tulla Céilí Band held their first performance at a competition in Limerick City in March 1946 — and placed first. It was the beginning of a remarkable run. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the band dominated the All-Ireland céilí band competitions, winning multiple titles and earning a reputation as, in the words of many traditional music scholars, “arguably the greatest céilí band that ever played.”
What made Tulla special was not just the technical excellence — it was the feel. The Clare fiddle tradition, earthy and driving, gave the band a sound that set dancers could not resist. You did not just listen to Tulla. You moved.
A Band That Survived Everything
Few music groups survive 80 years. Tulla has seen musicians come and go, cultural trends shift, and the world change beyond recognition since those conversations in Minogue’s Bar. The band was founded in the final year of World War II; it is still playing in 2026.
The passing of longtime leader P.J. Hayes in 2001 was a defining moment for the band — but they continued, as they always had. The music would not let them stop.
Today’s lineup carries the torch with grace. Fiddlers Mark Donnellan and Eimear Coughlan, accordion player Michael McKee, concertina player Brian Donnellan, and the extraordinary Mairéad Casey — who brings sean nós singing and set dancing to their performances — ensure the tradition is in safe hands. The names change; the spirit does not.
2026: Eighty Years and Still Playing
This weekend, the Tulla Céilí Band brought their 80th anniversary tour to Britain, performing a set dancing céilí at the London Irish Centre on 12th April. Before that, they had dancers spinning at Birmingham’s New Irish Centre on Friday evening. To watch them perform is to witness something rare: eight decades of unbroken tradition, still alive and electric.
The band’s longevity is not accidental. From the very beginning, Tulla was built on community — musicians who played not for fame or money, but because the music demanded to be played, and the dancers demanded to dance. That spirit has never changed.
Why Céilí Music Matters
In an era of curated playlists and algorithmic music discovery, there is something profoundly moving about a céilí band. The music is made for gathering — for dancing, for laughing, for feeling connected to something older than yourself. Every reel, every jig, every polka the Tulla band plays carries the weight of that 1946 pub conversation in it.
The next time you find yourself in County Clare, consider a visit to Tulla — the village where it all began. Sit where the musicians once sat, and think about the conversation that launched 80 years of music that has never stopped making Ireland dance.
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