Dance Instructions
Newcastle Irish Set Dancers conduct classes Irish dance sets including those listed below. The group also practises various ceili dances.
If you wish to contact us then is probably the best way.
Instructions are available (or are being prepared) for the dances listed below.
Irish
Sets:
- Antrim Square Set
- Aran Set
- Ardgroom Polka Set
- Armagh Lancers Set
- Ballingeary Jig Set
- Ballycommon Set
- Ballvourney Jig Set (Baile Bhúirne Jig Set)
- Borlin Polka Set
- Caledonian Set
- Cashel/Castle Set
- Cavan Set
- Claddagh Set
- Clare Lancers Set
- Connemara Reel Set
- Connemara Jig Set (Freres Nantes)
- Corofin Plain Set
- Cuchulainn Set
- Fintown Set
- Jenny Lind Set
- Kildownet Half Set
- Kilfenora Set
- Labasheeda Set
- Limerick Tumblers Set
- Louisburgh Set
- Mayo Lancers Set
- Mazurka Set
- Mealagh Valley Jig Set
- Monaghan Set
- Newmarket Mezerts Set
- Newport Set
- North Kerry Polka Set
- The Plain Set
- Set of Erin
- Skibbereen Set
- Sliabh Luachra Set
- South Galway Set
- South Sligo Lancers Set
- Televara Set
- Victoria Set
- West Kerry Set
- Wexford Half Set
- Williamstown Set
Ceili Dances:
- An Lasair's Reel
- Fairy Reel
- Shoe the Donkey
- Siege of Ennis
- Stacks of Barley
- Sweets of May
- The Walls of Limerick
Other Sites containing Irish Set Dance Instructions
- Bill Lynch's Set Dancing News
- Dr. Lenette and Larry Taylor's extensive collection of notes for The Crooked River Set Dancers, northeast Ohio USAJoseph O'Hara's Irish Set Dance study notes - an excellent detailed resource
- The Brooks Academy (instructions for a number of Sets)
- Irish-American Lobby Education Foundation - Set Dance instructions
- Scott MacHaffie's Instructions for Irish ceili dances
- Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann [Cooley-Keegan Branch of San Francisco] - Set dance instructions
Irish Dance Music
Traditional Irish music is used for set dancing. The main categories are:
- Reel - in 4/4 time, usually fast, the most popular of rhythms
- Hornpipe - in 4/4 time, but with every second beat strongly accented
- Jig - in 6/8 (derived from the European gigues?)
- Slide - in 6/8 time
- Polka - 2/4 time (local to the Cork/Kerry region, similar to European polka?)
Bill Lynch's site has comprehensive details of CDs, cassettes, videos, books, etc. A separate page discusses music for dancing the Sets and some useful sources (CDs, cassettes and videos).
Newcastle Irish Set Dancers are part of the Newcastle and Hunter Valley Folk Club.