We called a phone number listed on...

We called a phone number listed on the flyer to ask about the Christmas ceili being held at St. Ambrose Church in West Hollywood this Saturday at 8 p.m., and were lucky enough to reach Nora Masterson, whose sweet voice made it hard to hang up the telephone. A ceili (it’s Gaelic and pronounced KAIL-ee) is a social gathering with traditional Irish dancing and music. The music will be provided this time around by a group called Reel to Reel, which will make a proper go of it with an accordion, flute, fiddle, banjo and guitars, and a bodhran , which is a hand-held drum. “Maggie will call each dance from the stage,” said Masterson, referring to Margaret Cleary. It sounded a lot like square dancing, and Masterson assured us that even novices can pick up some of the steps pretty easily. “Wholesome is a word that always comes to mind,” said Masterson in describing the atmosphere. Cleary, who’s the leader, and Masterson are both members of the St. Ambrose Ceili Dancers. The dance troupe and the church, it seems, have adopted each other, and ceilis are held every month or so in the church hall, Masterson said. Admission on Saturday is $5 for adults, $2 for children under 12. Refreshments will be served. The church hall is located at 1261 N. Fairfax Ave., half a block south of Fountain Avenue in West Hollywood. For more information, call (213) 934-0293. This is real Irish fare. Leave your “Danny Boy” at the door.