FORAER a NEAINTIN (Connemara Jig)
Study Notes Copyright © William Lynch 2007
| Repeats marked * are now considered optional, and may be omitted to shorten the first three figures. |
| First Figure - Tug and Cross (Jigs) | 288 bars |
| 1 | Circle: all take hands in a circle, advance and retire twice. The gent keeps his partner's L hand in his R, lifts his R arm over her head to rest it on her R shoulder, and takes her R hand in his L on the last bar. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Lead around anti-clockwise. On the last 2 bars the lady turns under the gent's R arm to face him, hands still held. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Tug and swing: partners lean back from each other with arms extended on the 1st bar and pull together on the 2nd (the 'tug') to swing with R arms around partners' waists and L hands holding partners' R arms just above the elbow. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Top couples:
Advance and return twice: with crossed hands held in front, couples advance, 2, 3, turn and back, 2, 3, turn, turning inwards both times, and repeat. |
8 bars |
| Lead around each other, with R shoulder hold (R hands held on the lady's R shoulder and L hands held low in front). | 8 bars | |
| Tug and cross over: partners tug and change places twice, moving clockwise (4 bars), and all gents then swing the lady on the L in the corners of the set (4 bars). | 8 bars | |
| Advance and return: new couples advance and return twice, leading partners facing each other to form 2 lines of four down the set. | 8 bars | |
| Lead around each other: same couples lead around each other with R shoulder hold. | 8 bars | |
| Tug, cross back and swing: couples tug and partners dance back to each other (2 steps) and swing. | 8 bars | |
| All lead around, with R shoulder hold. | 8 bars | |
| All tug and swing partners. | 8 bars | |
| 5 | Side couples now lead to dance 4. | 64 bars |
| 6 | Top couples now lead to repeat 4.* | 64 bars |
| 7 | Side couples now lead to repeat 4.* | 64 bars |
| Second Figure - Half Chain (Jigs) | 256 bars |
| 1 | Circle.
Lead around. Tug and swing partners. |
24 bars |
| 2 | Top couples:
Ladies half chain: R hands in the centre and L to opposite gent to turn him anti-clockwise into R shoulder hold (4 bars) and lead back to the lady's place (4 bars). Gents drop hands and ladies then repeat the chain and lead their own partners back to place (8 bars). |
16 bars |
| Advance and return twice. | 8 bars | |
| Lead around each other anti-clockwise, with R shoulder hold. | 8 bars | |
| Tug and swing partners. | 8 bars | |
| All lead around. | 8 bars | |
| All tug and swing partners. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Side couples now lead to dance 2. | 56 bars |
| 4 | Top couples now lead to repeat 2.* | 56 bars |
| 5 | Side couples now lead to repeat 2.* | 56 bars |
| Third Figure - Full Chain (Jigs) | 264 bars |
| 1 | Top couples:
Advance and return twice. |
8 bars |
| Ladies full chain: R hands in the centre, L elbow to turn the opposite gent, R hands in the centre and turning partners anti-clockwise L hand on return into R shoulder hold. | 8 bars | |
| Lead around each other. | 8 bars | |
| Tug and swing partners. | 8 bars | |
| 2 | Side couples now dance 1 | 32 bars |
| 3 | Top couples:
Advance, return and turn across: advance and return once R hand in R and the gent turns his lady clockwise underarm 1˝ turns into the opposite place. |
8 bars |
| Advance, return and christmas, L hand in L, the gent turning the lady 1 turn clockwise underarm and then placing her L hand on his R shoulder and his arms around both ladies' waists to form a little christmas on the last 2 bars. Ladies place their R hands on the gents’ L shoulders. | 8 bars | |
| Swing four. | 8 bars | |
| Ladies full chain into R shoulder hold. | 8 bars | |
| Lead around each other. | 8 bars | |
| Tug and swing partners. | 8 bars | |
| 4 | Side couples now dance 3. | 48 bars |
| 5 | Top couples now repeat 3.* | 48 bars |
| 6 | Side couples now repeat 3.* | 48 bars |
| Fourth Figure - The Hornpipe | 184 bars |
| 1 | Circle: all join hands in a circle and advance and retire twice. | 8 bars |
| 2 | House around with waltz hold. | 8 bars |
| 3 | 1st top couple:
Turn the lady: the dancing lady dances 4 full anti-clockwise turns under the gent's R arm as he dances around behind her within the set and back to place. |
8 bars |
| Line of three advance and retire: the dancing gent takes inside hand hold with his partner and the lady on his L (the 'visitor'). The three advance and retire twice. | 8 bars | |
| Arches: the visitor dances under the gent's RH arch, followed by the gent. The dancing lady dances under the gent's LH arch, followed by her partner and both movements are then repeated to finish back in place. | 8 bars | |
| 4 | Circle.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 5 | 1st side couple (R of 1st tops) now leads to dance 3. | 24 bars |
| 6 | Circle.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 7 | 2nd top couple now leads to dance 3. | 24 bars |
| 8 | Circle.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 9 | 2nd side couple now leads to dance 3. | 24 bars |
| 10 | Circle.
House around. |
16 bars |
| Fifth Figure - Foraer a Neaintin (Polka) | 144 bars |
| 1 | Circle. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Lead around with waltz hold, side by side. | 8 bars |
| Dance at home, turning twice. | 8 bars | |
| Circle and change partners: all advance and retire, advance again (6 bars) and each gent turns anti-clockwise to the lady on his L , takes her in waltz hold and brings her into his place (2 bars). | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Lead around.
Dance in place. Circle and change partners. |
24 bars |
| 4 | Lead around.
Dance in place. Circle and change partners. |
24 bars |
| 5 | Lead around.
Dance in place. Circle and change partners. |
24 bars |
| 6 | Lead around.
Dance at home. Circle. |
24 bars |
| 7 | Swing partners. | 8 bars |
| STEPS When dancing the Advance and return the brushed jig step is used. In this the toe briefly touches the floor and is raised before taking the weight on that count. Also, according to Mick, the pivot step on which the dancers turn is accompanied by a low cut with the other foot in which the toe remains virtually on the floor. |
| SOURCES Connie Ryan, London, 1992. It was Mick Mulkerrin who, two years later, observed that repeats are now being omitted as some dancers think the figures are over-long. But why omit something so pleasurable to dance? The set was first revived under the corrupt title "Frere Nantes". Some time in 1994/95 an Irish Cultural Weekend was organised in Coventry, England, and I was asked to teach a set on the Saturday evening in the period between workshops and dinner. I chose this one and had to dance in one of the sets to make up the number. My partner was the celebrated poet Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill who, when she heard the music for the last figure, told me that it was a song, Foraer a Neaintín, which she used to sing as a child. Eileen O'Doherty has included the words and music in her collection of sets "The Walking Polka". |