Your Top 10 Irish Set Dances 2015 – 2017

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.

Best wishes,
Nora Stewart
 Irish Bliss

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Your Top 10 Irish Set Dances 2017

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= Antrim Square 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

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Your Top 5 Irish Céilí Bands 2015

What an amazing response we had to this poll – the amount of interest far exceeded my wildest reckoning.

10,030 votes from 40 countries far and wide, with 128 bands on the list which  expanded over the poll week to include 171 bands, suggested by you.

I’m not sure if this is the first poll of Irish céilí bands, but the purpose of holding a popular vote was to try increase the level of interest in Irish dance music.  I can see that it doesn’t need a huge amount of help but I hope it has added something extra. I’d love to see the day where every country in the world has at least one céilí band.

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Your Top 5 Irish Set Dances

Well, the results are in and by popular vote, it looks like the classic sets are still the most popular. We had 1,469 votes altogether from many different parts of the globe-thank-you!

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