Study Notes Copyright © William Lynch 2007
CORNERS AND CORNER COUPLES
(X = gent O = lady)
1st corner |
X |
O |
2nd corner |
|
couple |
O |
X |
couple |
|
1st corner |
2nd corner |
|||
X O |
||||
Home place |
||||
| First Figure - Wheel (Jigs) | 136 bars |
| 1 | Lead around with waist hold. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Square the set: taking waltz hold, couples slide 1, 2, 123, into the place on their R, finishing with the gent's back to his 3rd corner (2 bars), walk 2 short steps towards their 3rd corner and dance 1x3 in place - 1, 2, 123 (2 bars). They continue in the same direction, gents dancing backwards and the ladies forwards, dancing 1x3 into the corner, 1x3 to ¼ turn clockwise and 2x3s into the place opposite their own (4 bars). The whole 8 bar movement is repeated from this place and back home. | 16 bars |
| 3 | Diamond: with the same hold, couples slide 1, 2, 123, into their 2nd corner couple's place and ¼ turn (2 bars), slide into their opposite couple's place and ¼ turn, slide into their 1st corner couple's place, ¼ turn and slide home. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Wheel: top couples face their 1st corner couples and facing couples take R hands and wheel around to place. | 8 bars |
| 5 | Swing, with waltz hold. | 8 bars |
| 6 | Lead around.
Square the set. Diamond. |
32 bars |
| 7 | Wheel, side couples facing their 1st corner couples.
Swing. |
16 bars |
| 8 | Lead around.
Square the set. Diamond. |
32 bars |
| Second Figure -Cross and Swing (Jigs) | 152 bars |
| 1 | Lead around.
Square the set. Diamond. |
32 bars | |
| 2 | Gents cross (2 bars) and swing the opposite lady. | 8 bars | |
| Slide and home: both couples slide to the centre and back (4 bars) and dance at home, turning once (4 bars). | 8 bars | ||
| Gents cross back and swing partners. | 8 bars | ||
| 3 | Lead around.
Square the set. Diamond. |
32 bars | |
| 4 | Side couples now dance 2. | 24 bars | |
| 5 | Lead around.
Square the set. Diamond. |
32 bars |
| Third Figure - Four Slides (Jigs) | 248 bars |
| 1 | Lead around.
Square the set. Diamond. |
32 bars |
| 2 | Top gents:
Swing partners. |
8 bars |
| Slide and home. | 8 bars | |
| Swing 1st corner lady.
Slide and home. |
16 bars | |
| Swing the opposite lady.
Slide and home. |
16 bars | |
| Swing 2nd corner lady.
Slide and home. |
16 bars | |
| Swing partners. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Lead around.
Square the set. Diamond. |
32 bars |
| 4 | Side gents now dance 2. | 72 bars |
| 5 | Lead around.
Square the set. Diamond. |
32 bars |
| Fourth Figure -Face the Hob (Jigs) | 328 bars bars |
| 1 | Lead around.
Square the set. Diamond. |
32 bars |
| 2 | Face the Hob:
Top couples: Dance at home. |
8 bars |
| Slide and home, finishing with 1st tops facing out of the set and 2nd tops facing centre. | 8 bars | |
| Side couples: Dance at home. | 8 bars | |
| Slide and dance into line, each to their R of the gap so that 1st sides (L of 1st tops) are 2nd and 2nd sides 3rd in line. | 8 bars | |
| Cast off, gents L and ladies R, to meet partners in 2nd tops place (4 bars), take waist hold and lead back home, the 3rd couple making a tight turn anti-clockwise into place. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Lead around.
Square the set. Diamond. |
32 bars |
| 4 | Face the Hob, side couples leading, with 1st sides facing out of the set, and top couples dancing into line to their R of the gap so that 2nd tops are 2nd and 1st tops are 3rd. | 40 bars |
| 5 | Lead around.
Square the set. Diamond. |
32 bars |
| 6 | Face the Hob, top couples leading, with 2nd tops facing out of the set. | 40 bars |
| 7 | Lead around.
Square the set. Diamond. |
32 bars |
| 8 | Face the Hob, side couples leading, with 2nd sides facing out of the set. | 40 bars |
| 9 | Lead around.
Square the set. Diamond. |
32 bars |
| Fifth Figure -Square the House (Slides) | 176 bars |
| 1 | Lead around. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Top couples square the house four times. They slide 1, 2, 123, to a point in front of their 2nd corner couple, make a ¼ turn clockwise and slide 1, 2, 123, to a point in front of their opposite couple (4 bars) then house back to place (4 bars). The movement is then repeated three times | 32 bars |
| House around each other. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Side couples now dance 2. | 40 bars |
| 4 | Top couples now repeat 2. | 40 bars |
| 5 | Side couples now repeat 2. | 40 bars |
| Sixth Figure -The Floating Reel (Reels) | 144 bars |
| 1 | Half lead around, with crossed hand hold, to the opposite place and gents turn the ladies 2 turns clockwise under R arm back to place. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Top couples:
1st couple advance, retire, and dance at home. |
8 bars |
| Gents cross over to the opposite lady, R to R, and swing. | 8 bars | |
| Gents dance in and link L elbows in the centre (2 steps), dance 4x3s anti-clockwise and 2 doubled steps out to finish beside their own partners. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Half lead around and turn the ladies. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Side couples now dance 2. with 1st sides leading. | 24 bars |
| 5 | Half lead around and turn the ladies. | 8 bars |
| 6 | Top couples now dance 2. with 2nd tops leading. | 24 bars |
| 7 | Half lead around and turn the ladies. | 8 bars |
| 8 | Side couples now dance 2. with 2nd sides leading. | 24 bars |
| 9 | Half lead around and turn the ladies. | 8 bars |
| Seventh Figure - The Hornpipe | 160 bars |
| 1 | Quarterhouse: Taking waltz hold, all couples dance 1 step in place, 1 reversing the lady towards the next place on the R then turn 2 steps into that place. They repeat this 4 step movement into each place and back home. | 16 bars |
| 2 | House around. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Circle and change: all join hands in a circle, advance and retire dancing in, 2,3, stamp, back, 2,3 (2 bars), dance in place (2 bars) and drop hands. Ladies dance in, take hands and circle anti-clockwise one place only(2 bars), drop hands and fall back beside their new partner (2 bars). | 8 bars |
| 4 | Quarterhouse.
House around. |
24 bars |
| 5 | Circle and change.
Quarterhouse. House around. |
32 bars |
| 6 | Circle and change.
Quarterhouse. House around. |
32 bars |
| 7 | Circle and change.
Quarterhouse. House around. |
32 bars |
| STEPS All jig Figures are danced with the ‘rising’ jig step. |
| SOURCES Mick Mulkerrin at Solihull, April 1994 and Connie Ryan at Cecil Sharp House, London, February 1995. Mick got the set from Muirish Ó Briain and Connie, so he told us, from a video recording made of dancers from the Portmagee area, their versions differing only slightly in the 'Square'. I have followed Mick's version in these Notes. The set was recalled and given to Muiris by Patrick Joy, of Caragh Lake, in 1993. |