THE MISERK SET - Portmagee. Co. Kerry
Study Notes Copyright © William Lynch 2007
CORNERS AND CORNER COUPLES
(X = gent O = lady)
1st corner |
X |
O |
2nd corner |
|
couple |
O |
X |
couple |
|
1st corner |
2nd corner |
|||
X O |
||||
Home place |
||||
| First Figure - Change Partners (Jigs) | 248 bars |
| To make description of this figure easier, I have made each lady retain the name of her original place as she moves around the set. | ||
| 1 | Lead around anti-clockwise, with waist hold, back to place. | 8 bars |
| 2 | House around, doubling the last 2 bars. | 8 bars |
| 3 | 1st top couple:
Figure in: they dance hop1234567 into the centre and the same step back (4 bars) and dance at home, turning once (4 bars). |
8 bars |
| Swing, with waltz hold. | 8 bars | |
| 1st top and 1st side (L of 1st tops) ladies change places L to L (2 bars) and 1st top gent and new partner swing (6 bars). | 8 bars | |
| 1st side and 2nd top ladies change places and 1st top gent and new partner swing. | 8 bars | |
| 2nd top and 2nd side ladies change places and 1st top gent and new partner swing. | 8 bars | |
| 4 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 5 | 1st side gent and 1st top lady: Figure
in. Swing. |
16 bars |
| Ladies change places and 1st side gent swings 1st side, 2nd top and 2nd side ladies, in that order. | 24 bars | |
| 6 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 7 | 2nd top gent now leads to dance 3. | 40 bars |
| 8 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 9 | 2nd side gent now leads to dance 3. | 40 bars |
| 10 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| Second Figure - Swing Two Girls (Jigs) | 152 bars |
| 1 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 2 | 1st top couple figure in (8 bars), pick up their 1st corner lady who has danced out to meet them on the last 2 bars and swing three, falling back to place on the last 2 bars (8 bars). | 16 bars |
| 3 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 4 | 1st side couple figure in and swing three with their 1st corner lady. | 16 bars |
| 5 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 6 | 2nd top couple figure in and swing three. | 16 bars |
| 7 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 8 | 2nd side couple figure in and swing three. | 16 bars |
| 9 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| Third Figure - Under the Finger (Jigs) | 152 bars |
| 1 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 2 | 1st top couple figure in and turn the lady, R hand in R, 4 turns clockwise underarm while the gent dances in place. | 16 bars |
| 3 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 4 | 1st side couple figure in and 1st top and 1st side gents turn the lady. | 16 bars |
| 5 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 6 | 2nd top couple figure in and 1st top, 1st side and 2nd top gents turn the lady. | 16 bars |
| 7 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 8 | 2nd side couple figure in and all gents turn the lady. | 16 bars |
| 9 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| Fourth Figure - High Gates (Jigs) | 152 bars |
| 1 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 2 | 1st top couple figure in and high gates: after dancing at home, the dancing gent takes his lady's R hand in his R and the L hand of his corner lady in his L hand. He raises his L arm to form the first 'gate' for the dancing lady to pass through and follows her round under his own arm (4 bars). He then raises his R arm to make the second gate through which the corner lady dances and again he follows her round and all drop hands and dance into place. | 16 bars |
| 3 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 4 | 1st side couple figure in and high gates. | 16 bars |
| 5 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 6 | 2nd top couple figure in and high gates. | 16 bars |
| 7 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 8 | 2nd side couple figure in and high gates. | 16 bars |
| 9 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| Fifth Figure - The Confession (Jigs) | 224 bars |
| 1 | Lead around.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 2 | 1st top couple figure in and end facing out of the set, the gent on the correct side of his lady. 1st side, 2nd top and 2nd side couples in turn figure in and line up behind them, gents behind the gent and ladies behind the lady. | 32 bars |
| Cast off and lead around: leading gent dances L and his lady R to meet at the bottom of the set (4 bars), take waist hold, lead back up the set (4 bars) with the following dancers taking waist hold as they meet their partners and all lead around to place (8 bars). | 16 bars | |
| 3 | 1st side couple now leads to dance 2. | 48 bars |
| 4 | 2nd top couple now leads to dance 2. | 48 bars |
| 5 | 2nd side couple now leads to dance 2. | 48 bars |
| 6 | House around. | 8 bars |
| STEP The step used throughout the set is the ‘rising’ jig step. |
| SOURCE I was in Cahirciveen in April/May 1992 with Roisin Corbett and a group of her dancers from Coventry when members of the local Comhaltas branches hosted us at ‘The Shebeen’. This set had only been revived a couple of weeks before our visit and was danced that night in public for the first time, we were told, in 50 years. The set was recalled and handed on to Muiris Ó Briain by Joseph Falvey of Reencathrach, Portmagee, Co. Kerry, who had learned it from Baltimore (Co. Cork) fishermen who landed at Portmagee in 1932. I was fortunate enough to be invited to dance the set on that memorable and most enjoyable occasion and don't recall doubling the end of the House. However, when I obtained a copy of the instructions from the Cahirciveen dancers during their visit to Coventry and Birmingham in the following year I noted that they had made this change. |