When I was at school and college in Glasgow, in the 50’s and 60’s, all Scottish Country Dancing was just called Country Dancing. We never used the word Ceilidh Dancing. That was a highland social gathering or party, that may or not have included dancing. The term began to be used to for informal country dancing in about the 70’s. This was very useful in distinguishing between that and formal RSCDS dancing. As a student I have been unpleasantly surprised by turning up for a country dance and discovering it was a very formal affair with kilts and ladies sashes - not for a scruffy student like me. Thank heavens, lively informal country dancing began to be called Ceilidh dancing.

Coming to England, I was told at Cecil Sharp House (home of EFDSS, the English Folk Dance and Song Society), that a Scottish director used the term Ceilidh to advertise an English Barn Dance there. And the name stuck - good for him. And it also helps distinguish between formal English Country Dancing (Playford) and informal English barn dancing. The Irish word for it is Céilí, by the way.