I thought it was time to have a look at all the votes over the last three years (2,602), just to make sure that there is some consistency and a proper pattern to the results, not just a random set of numbers. You can find annual poll results from 2015,2016 and 2017.
Happy to say there is definitely a pattern: a beautiful set of numbers, if you’ll pardon the pun. In fact, the 80/20 principle is very evident, with almost exactly 80% of the total vote over 3 years for just 20 sets, out of 230+ possible sets.
Which is just as well because I’m not much of a numbers gal myself – dyslexic with them most of the time. But, I can count to 8, which is mostly what you need to be able to do to dance a set.
RANK
SET
2015-2017 vote total
% of vote total
1
Ballyvourney Jig
241
10%
2
Clare Plain
201
8%
3
Clare Lancers
174
7%
4
Connemara
170
7%
5
Cashel
130
5%
6
Merchant
126
5%
7
Claddagh
102
4%
8
Moycullen
101
4%
9
Antrim Square
95
4%
10
Corofin Plain
93
4%
11
Caledonian
83
3%
12
West Kerry
82
3%
13
Sliabh Luachra
72
3%
14
Kilfenora Plain
66
3%
15
Borlin
63
2%
16
Labasheeda
56
2%
17
Newport
52
2%
18
Paris
46
2%
18
Aran
35
1%
20
Mazurka
33
1%
2021
78%
Thanks again to everyone who has voted, and to all those who have a passionate interest in our lovely dances. We’ll do it all again next year.
THANKS to everyone who voted this year – we had a smaller vote overall but there is considerable consistency in the results of the top 10 set dances over the last 3 years – find the results here.
The Claddagh, Moycullen and the Antrim Square sets did very well this year compared with previous years… I feel the Down Under vote making its’ presence felt there!
82 sets got at least one vote, so while there is mass popularity of some sets, there is a healthy variety in favourite dances – worth considering for céilí and teaching programs.
However, the Clare Lancers come out on top this year – a wonderfully playful set, as you can see by one of my absolute favourite dance film clips here:
And there’s no better person that likes to play and dance, than my special friend Michael W. He specialises in getting everyone “organised” for the alternative second figure… go figure! (Anyone who had danced at the Willie Clancy will know what and whom I speak about).
RANK 2017
SET NAME
VOTES
1
Clare Lancers
28
2
Ballyvourney Jig
25
3
Claddagh
21
4
Moycullen
20
5=
AntrimSquare
19
5=
Clare Plain (Reel)
19
5=
Merchant
19
6=
Cashel
18
6=
Connemara Reel
18
7
Corofin Plain
16
8
Caledonian
12
9
Newport
11
10=
Paris
10
10=
West Kerry
10
11=
Kilfenora Plain
9
11=
Labasheeda
9
12=
Borlin
8
12=
Boyne
8
12=
Mazurka
8
12=
Rinkinstown
8
13=
Black Valley Square Jig
7
13=
Clare Orange and Green
7
13=
North Kerry
7
13=
Sliabh Luachra (AKA North Cork Polka)
7
14=
Aran
6
14=
Metal Bridge
6
14=
Skibbereen
6
15=
Caragh Lake Jig
5
15=
Derrada
5
15=
Williamstown
5
16=
Hurry the Jug
4
16=
South Kerry
4
17=
Auban
3
17=
Ballyvourney Reel
3
18=
Ballycommon
2
18=
Birr
2
18=
Carrobeg Set
2
18=
Connemara Jig (AKA Freres Nantes)
2
18=
Corballa
2
18=
Donegal
2
18=
Durrow Threshing
2
18=
Fermanagh
2
18=
Fermanagh Quadrilles
2
18=
Jack Canny Half
2
18=
Kildownet Half
2
18=
Laois Lancers
2
18=
Melleray Lancers
2
18=
Portmagee Jig Set (Meserts)
2
18=
Sliabh Fraoch
2
18=
South Galway Reel (AKA South Galway Half )
2
18=
South Sligo Lancers
2
19=
Ardgroom Polka
1
19=
Australian Half
1
19=
Ballinvreenagh
1
19=
Ballyfin
1
19=
Ballykeale
1
19=
Borlin Jenny
1
19=
Caherciveen
1
19=
Croisloch
1
19=
Cuchulainn
1
19=
Cuil Aodha
1
19=
Dublin
1
19=
Dunmanway
1
19=
Inis Oirr
1
19=
Jenny Lind
1
19=
Kavaneg
1
19=
Kilkenny Lancers
1
19=
Knockanore
1
19=
Limerick Orange and Green
1
19=
Lusmagh
1
19=
Meelick Polka
1
19=
Moate
1
19=
Monaghan
1
19=
Newmarket Meserts
1
19=
Newmarket Plain
1
19=
Seit Chamus
1
19=
Sidmouth
1
19=
Sliabh gCua
1
19=
Sligo
1
19=
Templebeg
1
19=
Valentia Right and Left
1
19=
Waterford Jig
1
436
Thanks again and happy dancing. Nora Stewart Irish Bliss
Aah, it’s been a while since my last post but I thought it would be nice to engage and see if dancers across the globe are interested in making their favourite sets known, like we did in 2015 and 2016.
I am just doing this for the craic – there are no prizes or accolades for the winning sets- just like there’s no prizes for set dancing:- we do it for the fun of it.
HOW IT WORKS
Pick your top 10 – Tick up to 10 sets you love dancing the most – you can add up to 10 additional sets at the bottom if your favourites are not listed. PLEASE ADD THEM ALL INTO THE ONE BOX – OTHER- with a comma between each set name.
Your favorite NEW set? I suggest you add these into the COMMENTS box below if you especially want to highlight that, and I will include a listing in the final results.
Vote once – You can only vote once, so choose carefully.
Closes – This poll is open for 1 week until around midnight Sunday 7th January2018.
Final results – full results will be published on Monday 8th January 2018. You can also see how it’s going by returning to this post and clicking on VIEW RESULTS at the bottom of the sets list.
Privacy – no private information is collected in this survey- completely anonymous.
Can’t see the poll below? Switch from private browsing in your internet browser may help. (Sorry, can’t do much about that for those worried about privacy.)
If you are anywhere near Ireland this Northern hemisphere summer, there is absolutely no excuse for not learning to play, sing or dance. Festivals and summer schools are burgeoning, with most offering opportunities to learn Irish set dancing, Irish sean nós dancing and/ or to learn to play or master a range of traditional musical instruments, as well as a wide range of concerts, céilís and lectures. And, of course, there are the fourprovincial fleadhanna(flaa-na), festivals incorporating competitions for traditional musicians and dancers, with the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann being hosted by Ennis, Co.Clare in August this year.
There is a tangible increase in 2016 for opportunities to learn and compete at sean nós dancing, to attend singing classes and performances, and much more on offer specifically for children.
You can find your way around all 38 festivals listed here by either using the interactive map or by scrolling the date listing below, which also includes a brief description.
FESTIVAL LISTING BY DATE (If you don’t see your festival here, please let me know)
JUNE 2016
Friday 10th – Sunday 12th June 2016 Craiceann International Bodhrán Summer School Inis Oirr, Co.Galway (Aran Islands) www.craiceann.com
Sunday 12th June- Thursday 16th June 2016 Enniscrone Irish and Country Music Festival Enniscrone, Co.Sligo
The 5 day festival brings together some of the best Country and Western stars under one roof in the Diamond Coast Hotel but the festival also gives the opportunity for people to take part in set dance workshops, ballroom and social dance workshops, music tutorials, sessions and with music and dance taking place till late in the night. http://www.diamondcoast.ie/Irish_Trad_and_Country_Music_Festival.html
Sunday 12th-Sunday 19th June 2016 Galway Sessions Galway city, Co.Galway
Dedicated this year to the memory of Éamonn Ceannt, there will be lectures, music, recitals and wide range of other events. www.galwaysessions.com
Thursday 16th -Sunday 19th June 2016 Jim Dowling Uillean Pipe & Traditional Music Festival
Glengarriff, Co.Cork www.jimdowlingfestival.com
Monday20th June – Friday 1st July 2016 BLÁS Limerick, Co.Limerick
Intensive “deep dive” workshops and master classes for experienced singers, dancers and musicians with a focus on collaborative integration of understanding between the disciplines- a residential program at the University of Limerick. www.blas.ie
Saturday 25th-Sunday 26th June 2016 & Saturday 2nd – Sunday 3rd July 2016 Fleadh Cheoil Chonnacht 2016 Strokestown, Co.Roscommon
Connacht Province Fleadh, which is primarily provincial competitions for traditional musicians, dancers & other artists, organised by the local Comhaltas Cheoltóirí Éireann (CCE). http://www.connachtfleadh.ie/
Saturday 25th-Sunday 26th June 2016 Carlow Set Dance Weekend 2016
Weekend of set dancing workshops and céilís. Carlow, Co. Carlow
JULY 2016
Saturday 2nd July- Saturday 9th July 2016 Willie Clancy Summer School Miltown Malbay, Co.Clare
Affectionately known as Willie Week, this is probably the longest running of these festivals. There’s always a great buzz in Miltown: we call it Set Dancing Mecca! Classes for music and dance are run each morning from 10-1pm from Monday – Saturday, interspersed with a wide range of afternoon and evening set dancing céilís around the area, singing sessions & music sessions in pubs. Highly recommended for those who want full immersion, deep dive into Irish culture & craic. http://www.scoilsamhraidhwillieclancy.com/ http://www.armadahotel.com/events.html/armada-festival-of-music-dancing-2016
Monday 4th July-Sunday 10th July 2016 Leinster Fleadh Cheoil 2016 Kilkenny, Co.Kilkenny
Leinster Province Fleadh, which is primarily provincial competitions for traditional musicians and dancers and other artists, organised by the local Comhaltas Cheoltóirí Éireann (CCE). http://www.leinsterfleadh.ie
Sunday 10th July- Saturday 16th July 2016 South Sligo Summer School Tubbercurry, Co.Sligo
This has become my favorite festival for it’s laid back nature but also the learning to dance program is excellent. Different energy to Willie Clancy, it’s more intimate, gentler and very enjoyable in this beautiful part of Co.Sligo, with very deep music & dance tradition. Set dancing and music classes are in the morning 10am-1pm, a sean nós dance program in the afternoon from 4-6pm, and a range of concerts in the afternoons, and set dancing céilís in the evenings, with sessions in the pubs to follow. http://www.sssschool.org/index.html
Monday 11th July– Friday 15th July 2016 Ceol na Coille Summer School of Irish Traditional Music Letterkenny, Co.Donegal www.ceolnacoille.ie
Monday 11th July– Friday 15th July 2016 Westport Scoil Cheoil 2016 Westport, Co.Mayo
Full summer school with tuition, concerts and recitals. www.westportscoilcheoil.com
Monday 11th July- Friday 15th July 2016 Sean Nós ar an tSionnan Feet and Beat Summer Camp Ballymote, Co Sligo
A week of dance training for children from 7 to 15 years. http://edwinaguckian.com/dance-classes/
Friday 15th July – Sunday 17th July 2016 Danny Webster Weekend Meenaneary, Co Donegal
Kilkenny’s master accordionist visits Donegal for a weekend of three céilís.
Friday 16th July -Sunday 25th July 2016 Ulster Fleadh 2016 Bangor, Co.Down
Ulster Province Fleadh, which is primarily provincial competitions for traditional musicians and dancers and other artists, organised by the local Comhaltas Cheoltóirí Éireann (CCE). www.ulsterfleadh.com
Saturday 16th July – Sunday 17th July Munster Fleadh 2016 Listowel,Co.Kerry
Muster Province Fleadh, which is primarily provincial competitions for traditional musicians and dancers and other artists, organised by the local Comhaltas Cheoltóirí Éireann (CCE). www.munsterfleadh.ie
Sunday 17th July – Saturday 24thJuly 2016 Joe Mooney Summer School Drumshanbo Co. Leitrim
Drumshanbo is delightful – a similar format to South Sligo Summer School, the difference here is the focus is very much around the unusual main street, which has a pedestrian mezzanine above the lane of traffic, where you can sit out in the sun, dance, listen to music & enjoy the people going by and enjoy a number of excellent evening céilís. www.JoeMooneySummerSchool.com
July 18th – 22nd, 2016 Meitheal Residential Summer School Villiers School, Limerick City, Ireland
Residential Summer School for young traditional musicians. www.tradweek.com
Monday 18th July – Friday 22nd July Get in Step Summer Camp Riverstown, Co Sligo
€60 for five classes sean nós and set dancing summer school for kids from 5 to 17 years from 10am–2pm daily
Eimear Mulvey (086) 258 4465
Saturday 23rd July – Saturday 30th July 2016 Scoil Acla Summer School Achill Island, Co.Mayo
Traditional Music Courses, Art Workshops, Sean Nós Singing, Writers Workshop, Dance Workshop, Sean Nós Dancing, Basket Weaving Workshops www.scoilacla.com
Monday 25th July- Sunday 31 July 2016 Kilcar Fleadh Kilcar, Co Donegal
A village on the wild Atlantic coast of Donegal hosts this week-long music and dance festival. https://donegalgathering.com/july/kilcar-fleadh/
Monday 25th July 2016 O’Carolan Summer School and Harp Festival Keadue, Co Roscommon
The Irish composer Turlough O’Carolan is the inspiration for this summer school and festival in this gorgeous town. http://www.ocarolanharpfestival.ie/
Monday July 25th- Friday 29th 2016 Liffey Trust Studios, 117-126 Upper Sheriff Street, Dublin 1 Rince 2016-Treblehop
Irish step dancing intensive tuition including solo technique, stage performance, céilí, show style and injury prevention. http://www.treblehop.com/rince_2016
Friday July 29th – Sunday 31st July 2016 Ballyshannon Folk Festival Ballyshannon, County Donegal www.ballyshannonfolkfestival.com
Saturday 30th July 2016 James Morrison Traditional Music Festival Riverstown, Co Sligo.
A full trad festival with open air céilís, concerts, sessions and more in the home village of a fiddler who became famous in the USA. http://jamesmorrisonfestival.com/author/admin/
AUGUST 2016
Saturday 31st July – 7th August 2016 The Irish Dance Festival Carlingford, Co.Louth
Spend a week learning from some of the world’s best Irish dance masters of three styles – step, set and sean nós – and connect with fellow lovers of Irish dance by immersing yourself in Irish culture and heritage. www.irishdancefestival.com
Wednesday 3 August-Monday 8th August Feakle International Festival of Traditional Music Feakle, Co Clare
The big festival in the small village of Feakle runs for seven days from Wednesday to Monday with many concerts & sessions in addition to the dancing events shown here. http://www.feaklefestival.ie
Monday 8 August – Friday 12 August Get in Step Summer Camp Kilcummin, Co,Kerry
Sean nós and set dancing summer school for kids from 5 to 17 years.
Adrian Moriarty (087) 933 0768
Monday 8 August- Friday 12 August 2016 Sean Nós ar an tSionann Feet and Beat Summer Camp Drumshanbo Co. Leitrim A week of dance training for children from 7 to 15 years. http://edwinaguckian.com/dance-classes
Sunday 14th August- Monday 22 August 2016 Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann Ennis, Co Clare
Nearly two weeks of fabulous music, dance and a wide range of concerts and other events celebrating Irish culture. Don’t miss it! http://fleadhcheoil.ie
Wednesday 17 August – Sunday 21 August 2016 Masters of Tradition Bantry, Cork
Celebrating traditional music in its’purest form through a series of concerts and performances, directed by Martin Hayes. www.WestCorkMusic.ie/MastersOfTradition
Thursday 18th August- Sunday 21st August 2016 Coleman Traditional Festival
Gurteen, Co.Sligo
The Coleman Traditional Irish Music Centre is a celebration of Irish Music, Culture and Heritage as expressed in the South Sligo Style of music played by Michael Coleman and other musicians of his time.
This community based enterprise in Gurteen, Co.Sligo, Ireland is dedicated to ensuring that the tradition of Irish music remains a living one ‘an traidisiún beo’ and that it continues to be enjoyed by all ages and nationalities. www.colemanirishmusic.com
22 years ago, when the Eurovision song contest was being held in Dublin, there was a filler act for the interval that was initially met with modest, uncertain applause when it started. What happened after that performance is now history, but I wanted to go back and have a look at the performance to see what it was that so transfixed us all.
Quite simply, it was beautiful, effortless and dream-like. It looked elegant and it sounded amazing, from the incredible singing introduction from Anúna, the gorgeous lyrical music and those stunning percussive rhythms, dancers synchronised playing off and responding to drums and each other. It had a story moving from the spiritual spell of water to a slick, modern city backdrop, in a kind of Clannad-meets-An-American-in-Paris moment.
And people responded in their hundreds of thousands, flocking to unprepared, dazed Irish dance schools, wanting a piece of that dream they had glimpsed and experienced. I know, I was one of them. Up until Riverdance, Irish step dancing had been something that young Irish girls and boys and those of the diaspora did as an obligation, taking their weekly classes or more often than not, skivving off and spending their sixpence on sweets (I’ve heard that story from many a dance friend).
The image of Irish step dancing was a little old-fashioned, a bit dowdy but reliable. As a student, you knew the rules, you knew the repertoire of dances, what to do to pass an exam and you got on with it. Costumes were modest, competitions and performances were regular and classes were strict.
Young irish step dancers 1970s. Image: www.crossexaminer.co.uk
Now, with the influx of thousands of young hopefuls, the sheer volume of interest has begun to move the dance in a whole different direction: a tidal surge causing it to lose it’s mooring of grace, rhythm and a deep connection with the music. I am concerned about much of what that means for the dancing, the dancers and the Irish culture it supposedly represents.
It’s now all about the extremes, intensity and deadly seriousness, and a slightly nasty edge that comes with all that- I have written more about this from an Australian viewpoint. For many dancers, there is an expectation of very intensive training, that dancing on pointeand extreme ballet turnout is the norm, that getting injured is de rigueur, that money is no object and that dancers will do almost anything to win including moving schools – sometimes even moving country to improve their chances of winning a competition.
Modern champions. Image: www.PhotoMagic.ie
And those dresses, wigs and make-up – what can I say. It is natural that styles will change over time and is part of all development. However, t’would give the haute couture of Louis XIV, Sun King of France a run for his money. And look what happened to him and his court!
Louis XIV The Sun King
Image: Gavin Doherty Design
The saddest part for me is seeing the music applied like wallpaper – a background only for the dancing, and not integral or cherished in any way.
There seems to be very little attempt to fit the steps to the music and to really connect with the complexity and beauty of it. Irish music is so full of character and life and much of the music I see in many Irish step dancing performances is pretty dreary stuff, in my opinion.
Not a patch on those beautiful compositions of Bill Whelan, nor any of the thousands of wonderful recorded uplifting music tracks available online for a few dollars. Music and dance work best in harmony, not submission.
So, while I genuinely applaud the interest in Irish step dancing, I am hopeful we will come full circle, back to a more beautiful and elegant form of dance that appreciates it’s cultural roots, more reflective of the emotion and rhythm in the music and just plain joyful and free.
This half set began it’s life in Canberra over 3 years ago at the King O’Malleys music session with Libby and Richard Conrick, amongst others. Richard and Libby knew Jack well : in fact, one of their sons is named after him, and Jack Conrick is now a fabulous fiddle and concertina player himself.
Martin and I would often go to the session on Tuesday nights, and occasionally, we would get up and “throw a few shapes”, as they say, just the two of us in a very small dance space, enjoying whatever music they were playing.
Some of the signature moves came from experimenting at the session. But mostly, the influences have come from my years dancing in Ireland, and in Clare, reflecting many of the Clare dance moves we know and love, with a few twists.
Martin and Nora dancing with Jack Conrick playing concertina in the background at King O’Malleys, Canberra.
Jack Canny would have been just over 3 years of age when the Easter Rising of 1916 took place in Dublin a hundred years ago, miles and worlds away from his home in the small townland of Glendree, two miles West of Feakle, Parish of Tulla in County Clare.
Maghera Mountain, close to Jack’s home in Co.Clare, where Jack’s friend fell down a peat hole one foggy night coming home in the dark from dancing. Image: www.ClareBirdWatching.com
The eldest of three sons of Patrick Canny and Catherine MacNamara, Jack was active, and lively – “happy as a sand boy”, as he recounted, and was a natural sportsman including regular games of hurling, and later, cycling.
And, of course, there was music. His father, Pat Canny, was a noted local whistle and fiddle player “It was their main hobby when their day’s work was done in the farms. We had no radios or televisions at that time. We had to make our own enjoyment and our main enjoyment was music.”
“My Dad played, he was a great inspiration to all of us. He used often take down the fiddle on the long winter evenings and he’d play there for half an hour, just to keep on practising. He used to do that once a week…sometimes once a fortnight.”
I used to think that a 100 years was a long time – ancient history. Now that I have just passed my own half century, I see it differently – close, not that far away, with threads that weave my own history into that time.
There is a reverberation, an echo from down the years, a depth of influence that County Clare has had, and is still having on, Canberra Irish musicians and dancers, like myself.
I was first alerted to this connection in 2004, when my husband Martin and I stepped into a King O’Malleys pub music session in Canberra on a Sunday night, for the first time. We looked at each other in surprise “Sounds just like the Tulla” we said, almost in unison. It was like an instant trip back to Clare – eerie and beautiful.
Pete Hobson, Sue Hobson and Mark Tandy at King O’Malleys session. Photo: N.Stewart
The Dartry Céilí Band from Ireland got the most votes this year in our popular poll, closely chased by bands from the USA and the UK – see full results in the table below.
A fantastic response from all over the world with just over 4,000 votes and 175 bands listed. I thank everyone who took the time to vote.
Special mention goes to a very late entrant, the Tanzanian Céil Band – I suspect this might be our most exotic entry to date. They are raising funds for the Tanzanian Children’s Project and the band’s slogan is:
Traditional Irish Music for A Better World
My sentiments exactly. Congratulations to all the céilí bands for your dedication and all the enjoyment you bring, no matter how many votes you got-more power to you all.
Happy St.Patrick’s Day and enjoy the music and dance wherever you are in the world.
Nora Stewart Irish Bliss
RESULTS TABLE BELOW
RANK
BAND NAME
VOTES
1
Dartry Céilí Band (IRL)
463
2
Pride of Patuxent Pond/ Southern Maryland Pond Scum Céilí Band (USA)
It’s on again – the battle of the Irish céilí bands to get a place in the top 5 for 2016.We had a brilliant response last year and looking forward to supporting our old favourites and the newer bands within the ever-expanding stable of wonderful Irish dance musicians.
We dancers are so lucky to have so many talented and energetic musicians to play for us and giving support and a vote to our favourite bands is like the least we can do, although you can vote whether you dance or not. You just have to love the music!