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!

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List of Sets 1

Glossary