Sally Magnusson's A Jiggered Fan
Legendary Scottish broadcaster, journalist and face of BBC Scotland, Sally Magnusson heard Jiggered Ceilidh Band at a wedding last summer and booked us up straight away!
Laxamyri is the Icelandic home of Sally’s ancestors- it’s a farming estate that her great-great-great-grandfather built up which was sold on early in the 20th century. Back in 2006, the family had a massive reunion in Laxamryri and eight years on, Sally was organising the Scottish return visit. Hundreds of family members (from all over; Denmark; Iceland; Scotland;England…) piled into Gartmore House to join in the celebrations.
It was a brilliant night. The crowd were keen and appreciative, clapping and cheering as soon as we started to play a few notes. From the youngsters who bounced about to the ceilidh tunes, to the young folk who showed off some great freestyle moves, to the sprightly great-grandfather with his newly replaced knee who dispensed the walking stick to allow him to jig about, to the Scottish contingent who were demonstrating how easy ceilidh dancing is, it looked like everyone had a great time!
Sally and her husband were a pleasure to play for. The pair were extremely relaxed despite hosting this massive event. They were really friendly. We chatted for a while and I even gave Sally a wee calculation to do (although she admitted Maths isn’t her strongest suit, she passed with flying colours!). And if you ever ask Sally to recommend a ceilidh band I know she’ll suggest Jiggered Ceilidh Band.
Roll on the 2022 Reunion in Denmark!!