Study Notes Copyright © William Lynch 2007
| First Figure - The Square (Quadrilles/Reels) | 96 bars |
| 1 | Lead around, with the gent's arm around the lady's waist and her L hand on his R shoulder. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Set and swing:all face partners and dance four 3s in place (4 bars) then swing with waltz hold (4 bars). | 8 bars |
| 3 | Top couples: Dance the square: they pass through with ladies in the centre (2 bars), partners pass each other L to L (2 bars), pass back again with ladies in the centre (2 bars) and partners pass L to L into place (2 bars). |
8 bars |
| Ladies chain R hands in the centre, turn the opposite gent with low L hand and pass back R to R. | 8 bars | |
| Half square and lead back: pass through and change places as before (4 bars) and lead anti-clockwise back to place (4 bars). | 8 bars | |
| 4 | Set and swing. | 8 bars |
| 5 | Side couples now dance 3. | 24 bars |
| 6 | Set and swing. | 8 bars |
| 7 | House around. | 8 bars |
| Second Figure - Crossover (Jigs) | 112 bars |
| 1 | Lead around. | 8 bars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Set and swing. | 8 bars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Top couples, lead the crossover, R hand in R: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 4 | Set and swing. | 8 bars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Crossover, side couples leading this time. | 32 bars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Set and swing. | 8 bars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | House around. | 8 bars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Third Figure - The Line (Reels) | 176 bars |
| 1 | Lead around. Set and swing. |
16 bars |
| 2 | Top couples dance the line:
1st gent and 2nd lady dance in to meet in the centre, take R arm hold and slowly dance a full turn around each other to finish with backs to their own places. |
8 bars |
| Swing, to finish with backs to their own places. | 8 bars | |
| Dance back and lead around: taking L hand in L they dance a full turn around each other (4 bars) and, with L hands still held, give R hand to their own partner to form the 'line' (more a letter 'C' than a straight line). The dancing gent's partner leads the line anti-clockwise (2 bars); the couples then separate, partners' hands still held, dance into the opposite place (2 bars) and drop hands. | 8 bars | |
| Advance, retire and pass back: the dancing pair leave their partners to advance towards each other and retire, bowing as they retire (4 bars). Both couples pass through, ladies on the inside, and partners pass L to L into place (4 bars). | 8 bars | |
| 2nd gent and 1st lady now lead to dance the line. | 32 bars | |
| 3 | Set and swing. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Side couples now dance the line, 1st sides L of 1st top couple. | 64 bars |
| 5 | Set and swing. | 8 bars |
| 6 | House around. | 8 bars |
| Fourth Figure - Three-and-One (Reels) | 240 bars |
| 1 | Lead around. Set and swing. |
16 bars |
| 2 | Top couples: Ladies chain. |
8 bars |
| Set and swing. | 8 bars | |
| 1st couple house across to leave the lady beside the 2nd gent while the 2nd couple stand in place. | 8 bars | |
| Advance and retire: with the 1st gent holding the ladies' inside hands and 2nd gent their outside hands, the formation advances, retires, advances (6 bars) and the ladies turn in beside the 1st gent, keeping hold of the hands (2 bars). The formation again advances, retires, advances, the ladies turn to face each other and couples form a little Christmas. | 16 bars | |
| Swing four, falling back to place on the last 2 bars. | 8 bars | |
| Ladies chain. | 8 bars | |
| Set and swing. | 8 bars | |
| 2nd couple now house across to lead the three-and-one | 24 bars | |
| Swing four. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Set and swing. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Side couples now dance 2. | 96 bars |
| 5 | Set and swing. | 8 bars |
| 6 | House around. | 8 bars |
| Fifth Figure - Change Places (Jigs) | 112 bars |
| 1 | Lead around. Set and swing. |
16 bars |
| 2 | Top couples: Change places: they dance 7s into the centre and back (4 bars) and across to the opposite place, dancing 12345678, 1234567, turning clockwise to face centre on the last 2 bars (4 bars). |
8 bars |
| Ladies chain. | 8 bars | |
| Set and swing. | 8 bars | |
| Change places. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Set and swing. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Side couples now change places. | 32 bars |
| 5 | Set and swing. | 8 bars |
| 6 | House around. | 8 bars |
| Sixth Figure - Quadrilles/ fast hornpipe/ slow reels | 160 bars |
| 1 | Circle: all take hands in a circle and advance and retire twice. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Swing. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Quarterhouse: keeping waltz hold, couples dance 1 step into the set and 1 step back to place then turn 2 steps on to the next place on their R (4 bars). They repeat this movement into each place and back home. | 16 bars |
| 4 | Circle and change: all advance and retire once (4 bars) and the ladies take R hands in the centre and wheel around to fall in beside the gent to the R of their starting position (4 bars). | 8 bars |
| 5 | Swing, new partners.
Quarterhouse. Circle and change. |
32 bars |
| 6 | Swing. Quarterhouse. Circle and change. |
32 bars |
| 7 | Swing. Quarterhouse. Circle and change, back to own partners. |
32 bars |
| 8 | Swing. | 8 bars |
| 9 | House around. | 8 bars |
| STEPS The Clare style reel step is used for all reel figures and the 'down' jig step for the jig figures. |
| SOURCE Pat Murphy at his Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, workshop in November, 2002. The set was introduced to the set-dancing public at this workshop and was demonstrated by Aidan Vaughan and friends. Pat related how he had been given a written description of the set by Michael Slattery of Kilfenora. The description was written many years ago and it took several brains, including Pat's, to translate it into the set as presented on that day. Pat's own notes on the set explain the sequence of events by which it came to his notice. |
| ENDNOTE February, 2004: Following an email from Bill Lynch which was prompted by a discussion with Pat Murphy I have removed the option "Polkas" from the Third Figure. The polkas Pat mentioned on the day as appropriate to this Figure are the old style Clare polkas and definitely not the Kerry style polkas. But you're safe with reels! I have also widened the options for the Sixth Figure as it was suggested to me that the quadrilles are not familiar to musicians outside the Kilfenora area and the normal hornpipe tempo is too slow for this Figure. |
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