Study Notes Copyright © William Lynch 2007
| First Figure - Ladies Chain (Single Reel) | 104 bars |
| 1 | Lead around and back: with R shoulder hold (partners R hands held on lady's R shoulder and L hands held low in front) couples dance anti-clockwise around the set to place. On the last step, partners each turn clockwise to face clockwise around the set, without letting go hands, so that L hands are now on the ladies shoulders and R hands held in front. Couples dance around to place and turn in to face each other with waltz hold. | 16 bars |
| 2 | House around. | 8 bars |
| Dance at home. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Ladies chain around: Top ladies face L, side ladies face R and all ladies chain around R, L, R, L within the set and back to place while the gents stand. | 8 bars |
| Swing partners. | 8 bars | |
| 4 | Lead around and back.
House around. Dance at home. |
32 bars |
| 5 | Ladies chain around: Top ladies face R, side ladies face
L and all the ladies chain L, R, L, R back to place.
Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| Second Figure - Cross and Swing (Jigs) | 128 bars |
| 1 | Circle: all take hands in a circle and advance and retire twice. | 8 bars |
| 2 | House around.
Dance at home. |
16 bars |
| 3 | Top couples:
Advance, retire and crossover: they advance and retire, R in R (4 bars), and ladies exchange places R to R (2 bars), then the gents exchange places, back to back (2 bars). |
8 bars |
| Swing partners. | 8 bars | |
| Advance, retire, and cross back. | 8 bars | |
| Swing partners. | 8 bars | |
| 4 | House around.
Dance at home. |
16 bars |
| 5 | Side couples now dance 3. | 32 bars |
| 6 | House around.
Dance at home. |
| Third Figure - Back to Back (Reels) | 152 bars |
| 1 | Circle. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Top couples:
Pass through: couples pass through, 1st couple on the outside with the 2nd couple between them (2 bars). 1st tops ½ turn inwards while 2nd tops ½ turn outwards (2 bars) and both couples pass back, 2nd tops on the outside with 1st tops between them (2 bars). On the last 2 bars, 2nd tops dance into place while 1st tops separate and dance into line each with the nearest side couple. |
8 bars |
| Advance and retire: while 2nd tops stand, the lines of 3 face each other, crossed hands held behind, and advance and retire twice, forming two baskets as they retire for the second time. | 8 bars | |
| Swing three: each basket of three swings clockwise, breaking to form a circle on the last 2 bars. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Circle. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Top couples:
Pass through again, but this time 2nd tops start on the outside and dance back down the centre and into line with the side couples while 1st tops dance back to place and stand. Advance and retire. Swing three. |
24 bars |
| 5 | Circle. | 8 bars |
| 6 | Side couples:
Pass through, with 1st sides (L of 1st tops) starting on the outside and dancing back down the centre and into line with the top couples while 2nd sides dance back to place and stand. Advance and retire. Swing three. |
24 bars |
| 7 | Circle. | 8 bars |
| 8 | Side couples:
Pass through again, but this time 2nd sides start on the outside. Advance and retire. Swing three. |
24 bars |
| 9 | Circle. | 8 bars |
| 10 | Swing partners. | 8 bars |
| Fourth Figure - Crossover (Polkas) | 104 bars |
| 1 | Crossover:
Top couples house across into each other's place while sides dance in place without turning. |
4 bars |
| Side couples house across into each other's place while tops dance in place. | 4 bars | |
| Top couples house back while sides dance in place. | 4 bars | |
| Side couples house back while tops dance in place. | 4 bars | |
| 2 | Top couples:
Dance at home, turning twice. |
8 bars |
| House around each other. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Dance at home.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 4 | Crossover, with side couples leading. | 16 bars |
| 5 | Side couples:
Dance at home. House around each other. |
16 bars |
| 6 | Dance at home.
House around. |
16 bars |
| Fifth Figure Ladies Change (Hornpipes) | 128 bars |
| 1 | Circle. | 8 bars |
| House around. | 8 bars | |
| 2 | Ladies change: couples dance at home and on the last 2 steps the gents turn their partners clockwise under L arm into the place next on their L. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Circle.
House around, with new partners. Ladies change. |
24 bars |
| 4 | Circle.
House around. Ladies change. |
24 bars |
| 5 | Circle.
House around. Ladies change. |
24 bars |
| 6 | Circle.
House around. Dance at home. |
24 bars |
| STEPS The set is danced fairly high on the ball of the foot, the heel being little used for support until the Hornpipe figure. In the First Figure the heel is used for emphasis, the body-weight dropping sharply on the heel on the 4th beat of each bar. In the 2nd reel (Third Figure) the step is still on the ball of the foot but the drop-heel is not used. The Second Figure, a jig, employs the ‘rising’ jig step danced high as in the First, although the drop-heel is only brought into play as the dancers retire in the opening Circle. The drop-heel is also used in the Hornpipe Circle, the advance and retire step being: Heel 1 2 3 heelswing 1 2 3, heelback, heelback, heelback, heelback. |
| SOURCE Tom Quinn of Dundalk, Co.Louth, at Priddy, Somerset in May 1992. The set was revived by Joe O'Donovan and is featured on the video "Set Dancing Made Easy" (Apollo Video - APV74) with Tom and his wife, Aine, teaching and demonstrating this and three other sets. |