THE BALLINGEARY (Béal Áth nGhaoraidh) JIG SET
Study Notes Copyright © William Lynch 2007
| First Figure -Swing Partners (Jigs) | 120 bars |
| 1 | Long quarterhouse: taking waltz hold, couples dance 1,2,123 into the centre (2 bars) and back,2,123 (2 bars) and turn 2 full turns into the next place on the R (4 bars). This 8 bar movement is danced into each place and back home. | 32 bars |
| 2 | Top couples: House around each other. |
8 bars |
| Square the set, dancing the slide step - 1, 2, 1, pivot (2 bars), into all four places. | 8 bars | |
| Swing partners with waltz hold. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Long quarterhouse to opposite place only. | 16 bars |
| 4 | Side couples: House around each other. Square the set. Swing. |
24 bars |
| 5 | Long quarterhouse back home. | 16 bars |
| Second Figure -Swing Opposites (Slides) | 136 bars |
| 1 | Long quarterhouse. | 32 bars |
| 2 | Top couples: House around each other. Square the set. Gents cross and swing opposite ladies. Gents cross back and swing. |
32 bars |
| 3 | Long quarterhouse to opposite place only. | 16 bars |
| 4 | Side couples: House around each other. Square the set. Gents cross and swing opposite ladies. Gents cross back and swing partners. |
32 bars |
| 5 | Long quarterhouse back home. | 16 bars |
| Third Figure -The Star (Jigs) | 152 bars |
| 1 | Long quarterhouse. | 32 bars |
| 2 | Top couples house and square. | 16 bars |
| 3 | Wheel R and L: Gents dance in place while ladies take R hands in the centre and wheel clockwise, turn on the 4th bar, take L hands and wheel back to place (8 bars). Gents then wheel R hand and back L hand while the ladies dance in place (8 bars). | 16 bars |
| Swing partners. | 8 bars | |
| Long quarterhouse to opposite place only. | 16 bars | |
| 4 | Side couples house and square. | 16 bars |
| 5 | Wheel R and L, ladies first, then the gents. Swing partners. Long quarterhouse back home. |
40 bars |
| Fourth Figure - Swing (Jigs) | 168 bars |
| 1 | Long quarterhouse. | 32 bars |
| 2 | Top couples: House and square. |
16 bars |
| Swing all the ladies: gents turn to the lady on their L and swing her (8 bars), move on to the opposite lady and swing her (8 bars), swing the next lady and, finally, swing their own partners (16 bars). | 32 bars | |
| 3 | Long quarterhouse to opposite place only. | 16 bars |
| 4 | Side couples: House and square. Swing all the ladies. |
48 bars |
| 5 | Long quarterhouse back home. | 16 bars |
| Fifth Figure -The Chain (Jigs) | 136 bars |
| 1 | Long quarterhouse. | 32 bars |
| 2 | Top couples house and square. | 16 bars |
| 3 | Half chain: partners face each other, hook R elbows and ˝ turn around each other so that gents face clockwise and ladies anti-clockwise around the set (2 bars). All hook chain to meet partners in the opposite place and take waltz hold. | 8 bars |
| Swing. | 8 bars | |
| Long quarterhouse back home. | 16 bars | |
| 4 | Side couples house and square. | 16 bars |
| 5 | Half chain. Swing. Long quarterhouse back home. |
16 bars |
| STEP The ‘down’ jig step is used for all figures. |
| SOURCE Willie Hammond at Cecil Sharp House, London, November 1994, who gave us Figures 1, 2, 3 & 5. As he had told us that this was one of the variations of the Ballyvourney Jig set, I was surprised, on transcribing the set later from my cassette recorder, to find only 4, rather than 5, figures. Reference to "Gliogaram Cos 1", a collection of sets by Assunta Ui Chathasaigh, showed there to be indeed 5 figures, so I have added the missing 'Swing' figure and assume that Willie only left it out to conserve our energy! |