Discover the Joy of Irish Set Dancing! Whether you’re a novice or an experienced dancer, these classes are designed for everyone. Step-by-step instruction makes dancing accessible and enjoyable for all skill levels.
What You’ll Learn:
Foundational Footwork: Start with essential steps and percussive “battering” moves unique to Irish Set dancing.
Partner Techniques: Breakdown of footwork for leads and follows for movements such as house, dance at home and battering while housing. With or without a partner.
Set Dancing: Put it all together and explore set recourse and calling and memoization tips to get you ready for the dance floor.
Maldon’s Spotify Profile – I have many playlists that you can save to your own account or save the link. The are organized by tune, by set dance and by ceili nights. The tune playlists are great if you are practinging your steps and want a playlist of tunes.
Maldon’s YouTube Profile – I have many playlists here as well. They are organized by sets, tunes, dances and more. Save them to your own youtube account for easy reference or save the link. Youtube you can slow down the video if you want to practice at a slower speed.
Irish old-style step dance classes focus on teaching the traditional dances that paved the way for modern step dance and the Riverdance style. These dances share a similar structure but are performed close to the ground. Unlike sean-nós dance, old-style step dance incorporates choreographed steps executed on both the right and left foot, usually lasting 8 bars each and repeated on both sides for a total of 16 bars. Join us to learn these timeless dances that have been passed down through generations.
The class recording tab included all the live zoom classes for this course. Each dance we will cover has it’s own page as well so you can go directly to that tab to work on each dance. The members only page had links to additional material related to this course. The tunes tab has streaming playlists and recording that you can download for practicing.
The job of journeywork with Céline Tubridy and Michael Tubridy. Music by Michael Tubridy, flute. Recorded for the DVD ‘Irish Traditional Step Dances’, Dublin : Michael Tubridy, 2007.
A selection of Irish traditional step dances / Michael Tubridy – Michael donated the book and DVD of old-style step dances and you can have access to the written notes here. This is a very useful tool as it has all the steps written out with words, dance notation and the sheet music. Job of Journeywork is on page.
Job of Journeywork practice music – A part only, B part only, Full tune with an extra A. These are in a google folder. You can download them or save them to your own google drive.
This course is suitable for dancers of all levels, from beginners to advanced. We will focus on sean-nós jig steps, providing material tailored to each skill level. Throughout the course, you’ll learn steps, improvisation techniques, and variations. By the end, you’ll have a set routine and the opportunity to explore improvisation or freeform dancing.
Sean-nós, which means “old-style,” is a highly improvisational and rhythmic dance form that stays close to the ground. Unlike traditional Irish step dancers, sean-nós dancers swing their hips and use their arms to express the music. Historically, dancers performed solo on small surfaces like the hardwood of a half door or the top of a barrel, leading to steps confined to a small space. In sean-nós dance, the dancer and the musician are closely connected, with the dancer interpreting the music through their movements.
I have been studying life coaching, mindset coaching and goal setting for the last 6 years. It is one of the things that has helped me though my cancer treatment and I am excited to share what I have learned with you. When I ask my students what their biggest struggle with dance is the response I usually get is practicing or building a habit of practicing. We are going to explore goal setting, keeping motivation going, practicing and dreaming big together.
Best Moments List – create a best moments list. This can be any best moments. You can start with childhood, last year, this week. I currently use this list on a regular basis as my gratitude list. In the past I have tried to do a gratitude journal but I never stuck with it and once I started the best moments list I began collecting best moments each day. This list can show you what is important to you and what you are motivated by. Jon Acuff has this as an exercise in his book All it Takes is a Goal. The next step is to look over your list and decide if something is an Experience, Achievement, Relationship or Object. Some might be more than one and that is ok. There is no wrong here. Then take a look at what you have the most of. Working on my goals over the years I have usually tried to give myself a reward for achieving that goal. And usually it was an object. Like losing 15 lbs and giving myself a reward of a new outfit. But I found that I wasn’t motivated by the new outfit or the object and when I look at my own list there is only 1% objects and the majority of my things are Experiences and Relationships. These are the things that motivate me so now I plan an experience with someone as my reward and it helps motivate me. This list also shows me what I want more of in my life and what I might want as goals in my future.
Looking Forward to List – our next list is the looking forward to list. You can start this my looking at your calendar. What are you looking forward to in the next few days, weeks or months? What are you looking forward to further down the road that might not be on your calendar. As you build this list you might find yourself adding things into your calendar or making dates with friends, planning a trip. From your best moments list is there anything you want add to your looking forward to list. Jon talks about this list helping keep you motivated and positive. When you have things to look forward to it’s harder to be discouraged. While creating this list and the best moments list I found myself reaching out to friends, family and community members to set up tea dates or walks or meeting someone to listen to music. It inspired me to bring more relationships and experiences into my life and I started booking more things in my calendar that give me joy.
Goal List – Next start creating your massive goal list. You probably all ready have some ideas for this list. Dream big. Put it all on there. Try not to limit yourself. Once you have your list go though it and give yourself permission to eliminate any goal that’s not yours. You might have things on there that you think someone who is shape might do, but it’s not something that you really want to do. One of the ones I had on my list was run a half marathon. I don’t even run right now and the idea doesn’t excite me. It’s someone else’s goal not mine. So I scratched though that one.
This first week we will make a best moments list, a looking forward to list and a massive goals list. These are lists that the writer and speaker Jon Acuff uses in his books. They have really helped me get into the right mindset for inspiration and motivation. Here are my lists if you want to see them. I currently keep a journal in my bedroom and will sit down here and there and add to my best moments list. I am finding that I add something most days and it brings me gratitude, hope, inspiration and joy. If fact my best moments list is on my looking forward to list!
Notice what helps you with this goal and as we continue over the weeks. What helps me most is having a time and place in my calendar for that goal, accountability with others, being kind to myself and having a range of what it means to work towards this goal.
week 3
Week
From week 1 we have our
Best Moment’s List
Looking Forward to list
Goal List
Week 2
Habit Stacking
Model – your thoughts generate your feelings,
Circumstance –
Thought –
Feeling –
Action –
Result –
Tested goal
Sound track’s “Our dreams are all unique but our doubts are all the same.” Jon Acuff
This week pick a goal for the month. Dump the things you need to do for that goal.
Easy Medium Hard
Make an impact
week 4
Week
Calendaring
3 days is firm
3 weeks is fuzzy
3 months is fiction
What can you do in the next 3 days that will make the next 3 weeks better?
What can you do in the next 3 days that will make the next 3 months better?
The first 5 weeks of course welcomes focuses on dancing in jig time. The last 3 weeks of the course focuses on Reels, keeping the jig steps alive and building up speed & endurance.
Edith was asking a quesiton about learn the dance step by ear – I realized what I was trying to say learn with by ear in regards to dance is learning the step by ear and eyes in time with the music, rather than me breaking down the step slowly with words or movements and no music. Just listening to a dancers step and the reproducing the sounds in your own way.
This course welcomes all skill levels and focuses on dancing in jig time. Sean-nós is a grounded, often improvised style of dance. You’ll learn dance steps, routines, and improvisation techniques through fun exercises and games.
Saturdays 10:00 AM
1/18 – 3/8
$120 for 8 weeks
2400 NE Alberta Street, Portland, OR
Playlists
jigs
Practice videos – I have all the steps that we will cover over the 8 weeks in the video playlist on the intro page. Feel free to dig around in there. They should be in the order that I will be teaching them. On this week 1 tab you will find notes for what we covered on our first day. Also the practice videos that I made in class and below that you will find our practice videos for the 3 shuffles, 2 shuffles, 4 heels step.
We covered:
Jigs – 6/8 timing, humpty dumpty is a jig
tap step
heel step
toe behind step
stamp step
Shuffle
3 shuffles (with tap, heel, or toe behind endings)
4 heels (1234 sound)
2 shuffles and 4 heels
Step: 3 shuffles, 2 shuffles, 4 heels
Practicing: You don’t have to practice but using the practice video of steps once or twice here and there will help. This will take 4-6 minutes. A good place to start a practice routine is to habit stack your practice sessin with a habit you already do. Like dancing while you are waiting in line for something, waiting for the coffee to brew in the morning, before you sit down for lunch, before after brushing your teeth. Find something that you do regularly and link it with your new dancing habit.
reels
recourses
https://siamsa.ie/ – This is the streaming radio station of all Irish music that our fabulous accordion player Jim Loewenherz mentioned.
www.youtube.com/@maldonmeehan1682 My youtube channel. I have loads of playlists of music and dance tracks and videos. Feel free to save any playlist to your own youtube account. In particular for this class I have a jig music playlist which you can slow down tracks and use for practicing.
Dive into the art of calling dances with our energizing 8-week course! Whether you’re a dancer looking to take the mic or simply eager to master the craft, this step-by-step program will guide you through everything—starting with calling your very first dance and building up to creating an unforgettable night of calling. Are you ready to bring the dance floor to life? Let’s do this!
Discover the Joy of Irish Set Dancing! Whether you’re a novice or an experienced dancer, these classes are designed for everyone. Step-by-step instruction makes dancing accessible and enjoyable for all skill levels.
What You’ll Learn:
Foundational Footwork: Start with essential steps and percussive “battering” moves unique to Irish Set dancing.
Partner Techniques: Master the art of dancing in sync with a partner, focusing on leading and following techniques.
Set Dancing: Put it all together by dancing in a full set of four couples, exploring various patterns and figures.
Wednesdays 12:00 PM
1/15 – 3/5
2400 NE Alberta Street, Portland, OR
Playlist
foundation
Frame / Lead
Hands & turning
Hands & Turn
This is a playlist for ballroom lead and follow, but many of the things and tips will transfer over to set dancing. Set dancing frame looks more relaxed and the arms and elbows are not as high, but the tension and pressure is the same in the connecting points is the same.
Sliabh Luchra
Polkas / Slides / Hornpipes
Week one we will look at dancing to polkas, jigs and slides. In particular sets from Slaibh Luchra (Cork, Kerry and Limerick). I was lucky enough to be able to dance to the music of Johnny O’Leary, Timmy O’Connor and John Walsh. All great Sliabh Luchra musicians. Timmy recently passed this last month. I had the opportunity to spend my free time at Willie Week with Timmy and John. I had many lovely chats with both of them that week as well as danced to their music and danced with them. Beautiful music and people.
We will work on the down step used for polkas, slides and jigs as oposed to the up step used for last terms reels.
Looking at each figure next to eachother you can see the simliaries between these dances. There’s a full is of these dances Set Dance Families and moves.
Susan asked a great question about the third set of quadriles that includes the Caledonian. It Pat’s book he just talks about this one dance. Future deep dives I’d like to look at some of the dances that would fall into this pattern. North Kerry and Sliabh Luachra have similarities as do all to the Jenny Lind sets, like Auban and The Jenny Lind. My goal is to put these dances into these catagories which I believe will help us see patterns and lead to memorizing and understanding more dances.
This term, we will spend a week or two on each of the dancing regions listed below. There are sets from all over Ireland, and today, sets are being revived and composed not only in Ireland but around the world.
If you’d like to see a list of many of these sets organized by county, click here to view the document. This is one of my recent projects and is still a work in progress. It’s fascinating to see all the sets in one place, along with their origins and composers. Every time I look at them, I notice new patterns and gain fresh insights. If you spot anything interesting, please share! As a collective community, we can uncover details that help us all learn and appreciate these wonderful dances and traditions.
All registered students are welcome to attend both the daytime and evening classes at no additional cost. Each class will cover different sets, so feel free to join both— the more, the merrier!
How deeply you dive into the material is up to you. Think of this like a yoga class or learning a musical instrument. We will start with the foundational steps, and I will introduce variations through partner work, turns, and footwork. You can incorporate these variations when you feel ready, but they are not required to enjoy the dance. The most important thing is to dance fluidly with your partner and your set.
This class accommodates all levels, allowing you to pick and choose what works best for you. Footwork ornamentation or “battering” will take extra practice outside of class, especially if you’re learning it for the first time. Even experienced dancers need to “woodshed” steps on their own before they can confidently integrate them into a dance. Focus on what you enjoy and what aligns with your current skill level!
Week 1 County Armagh
Week 2 County Clare
Week 3 County Galway, Connemara, Island Sets
Week 4 County Mayo
Week 5 County Sliabh Luchra, Cork, Kerry, Limerick
Week 6 County Cavan, Longford, Roscommon, Sligo
Week 7 County Tipperary, Waterford
Week 8 Newly Composed
Entire Playlist
This playlist included videos from the entire course and more. You will find breakdown and practice videos for steps and more.
Dance Minder – Dance Minder is a site with set dance instructions, run by Michael Harrison.
Set Dancing Teacher – Set Dancing Teacher – I really like how the instructions are laid out on this page; they’re clear and easy to follow. The instructions are still very helpful, but when using this site to teach or find the bar lengths for dances, I recommend double-checking the numbers using Pat Murphy’s book or DanceMinder, as the numbers aren’t always accurate on this site.
Mabula.net – Mabula is an amazing site! It lists all set dancing publications and musical recordings, including what we used to call “scrap sets.”
Spotify – I’ve curated music playlists for practicing and dancing. This playlists are by tune type as well as by sets.
YouTube – I’ve created music and dance playlists for many of the set dances.
Originally, set dances were brought to England, Scotland, and Ireland from France. The earliest sets were the First Set of Quadrilles, Second Set of Quadrilles, and Third Set of Quadrilles. These dances were taught in the grand houses as well as in communities by the dancing masters of the time. Over the years, each region adapted these French dances to fit their own traditional music and style, giving us the set dances we know today.
I’m currently working on a project to categorize these dances into their original “families” or roots. This approach has helped me recognize and remember dances based on their shared characteristics.
Dance Families:
3rd Set of Quadrilles – Caledonian Sets
1st Set of Quadrilles – Plain Sets
2nd Set of Quadrilles – Lancer Sets
Ireland’s Counties
Sets by Counties – This document lists most set dances by county. Below, you’ll find a map of each county to help you visualize where these dances originate. I never fully understood the regional roots of these dances until I visited Ireland—hopefully, this resource will help you grasp it faster than I did! Use it as a reference to explore where each set comes from and how different regions have shaped them.
In addition to counties, you’ll also encounter cultural regions of dancing. One notable example is Connemara, referring to sets from western Galway. Some revived dances from Westmeath, particularly Ráth Chairn, also have Connemara roots, as people from Connemara settled in this area. The Aran Islands are often grouped within this style as well. You may also come across the Sliabh Luachra set, named after the region where Cork, Kerry, and Limerick meet. As you dive deeper, you’ll notice that many sets were danced across county borders, blending regional styles.
Today, many new dances are being composed—some by dancers from a particular county, others in honor of a county’s dance traditions. I’ve included these in both the county lists and a separate composed dances section for reference. Additionally, some revived dances outside Ireland are tied to specific counties, and where I have that knowledge, I’ve included them.
A major contributor to documenting and preserving set dances is Pat Murphy, who has published five well-known books on set dancing, covering both traditional and modern sets. There are also other collectors who have played an important role in preserving these dances. In Pat’s books, he notes where he learned each set or who collected it. Some of the dancers he credits include Connie Ryan, Patrick O’Dea, and Pádraig & Róisín McEneany, some of whom our own Portland, Oregon community has had the pleasure of learning from. Their influence has helped shape and spread these dances, ensuring their survival for future generations.
Other important publications come from Larry Lynch, Brooks Academy, and others. Larry Lynch’s work deserves special mention. He collected sets locally, documenting where, how, and by whom they were danced at the time. His book goes into great detail about the dances, people, and regions, and he made a significant effort to preserve the way these dances were performed before the set dancing revival. I was fortunate to learn from him at the age of 15 and had opportunities throughout my dancing years to benefit from his knowledge. He lived in the Bay Area, where dancers greatly appreciated his historical insight. His recorded versions act as a time capsule, capturing past traditions that may not always align with how the dances are performed today.
I’ve also had the privilege of working with pipers deeply immersed in traditional playing, preserving versions of tunes from Seamus Ennis and Willie Clancy that are rarely heard today—except among dedicated enthusiasts. I encourage you to think of Larry’s versions in the same way: historical gems that capture a moment in time. While it’s essential to preserve these traditions, I encourage teachers and dancers to also recognize the evolving nature of set dancing.
Most importantly, read the room when dancing outside your usual community. Each place may have its own variations, so go with the flow and dance what the local dancers are dancing. Adaptability is key to keeping the tradition alive while respecting its roots.
footwork
Footwork
Set Dance Footwork – a page with footwork for each tune type. Also each dance page has footwork videos on it.
In set dancing, you use 3’s and advance & retire steps, with slight variations depending on the tune type—Reels, Jigs, Slides, Polkas, or Hornpipes.
A key feature of set dancing is battering, a percussive footwork style that adds rhythm and energy while dancing with your partner and within the set. However, the foundation of set dancing lies in smooth, flowing steps. Battering should enhance the dance, not overpower it. It’s typically used to highlight specific movements rather than throughout the entire set.
If you’d like to explore battering further, there are many lessons available on this site.
You can also use the search feature on this site to explore more classes and videos. Click HERE. If you’re interested in learning more about battering, there are plenty of lessons available!
Set Dance Footwork – A page with the steps organized by tune type and cultural region.
Mick Mulkerrin’s Steps – Mick, one of my teachers, is both a set dancer and a sean-nós dancer. On this page, you’ll find videos of him dancing, along with a playlist of the steps he taught me. Several of these include Clare Battering steps as well as Clare advance & retire steps.
Willie Keane – I never had the chance to meet Willie, but my dad saw him dance in Ireland in the ’90s. Mick taught me one of Willie’s steps, and it’s fantastic for set dancing, especially for advancing and retiring. There’s also a great documentary about Willie, which you can find—along with the step Mick taught me—on Willie’s page.
sets
Set Dances
On this tab you will find Wednesday/Tuesday class material. Each dance has its own page with instructions, videos, footwork and more.
Mondays 7:30 AM on Zoom Woodshedding In music, “woodshed” refers to practicing intensively to master a particular skill. We’ll apply this same concept to our dance practice. During this session, I’ll demonstrate the step at full speed, so you can see how it fits into the context of the whole routine. Then, we’ll break it down piece by piece, focusing on the smallest sections that can be repeated and gradually building them back into the complete movement. We’ll begin at a slower tempo and work our way up, increasing the speed by 1 or 2 beats per minute until we reach 80 bpm. Starting around 60 bpm, this session allows us to focus on one step at a time, ensuring we fully master it before moving on. This slow, methodical approach helps reinforce muscle memory and build confidence.
Wednesdays 7:30 AM on Zoom Keep Her Lit “Keep Her Lit” is a term musicians use when they’re playing through a tune on their own, even if it’s not perfect or if no one else joins in. The idea is to keep going, no matter what. We’ll take this approach to our dancing. We’ll begin by reviewing the step from Monday, practicing at whatever tempo we left off at. After 20-30 minutes of increasing speed, we’ll explore material from one of the courses available on the site. This is a great opportunity to revisit past content, even if you haven’t seen the material before. The goal isn’t perfection but progress and inspiration. If the speed is too challenging, feel free to focus on practicing a step you’re working on. Remember, dance is personal—express yourself and embrace your unique style.
Fridays 7:30 AM on Zoom Speed & Craic “Craic” (pronounced ‘crack’) is an Irish word for fun, and that’s exactly what this session is all about! We’ll dance through movements at slow, medium, and fast tempos, testing your endurance and flexibility. The beauty of our style is that the same music can be danced at various tempos, which helps develop muscle memory and gauge your current speed. This session will challenge your stamina, allowing you to build strength and confidence while dancing for longer periods at full tempo. Don’t worry if you need to adjust your speed—take it at your own pace, and feel free to slow down or speed up as needed. It’s also a great opportunity to identify steps you want to “woodshed” in future sessions to improve your speed and performance.
If you scroll down you will find links to several dances and courses. Feel free to review these and we will cover them over the course of 8 weeks.
We will have a playlist of tunes and dance up to speed. You can improvise, dance specific steps or dances. It’s up to you. There will be no breakdown, we will just dive into these dances, steps and tunes.
Our first woodshed we will learn and woodshed the reel step below.
Reels:
Collier’s Inspired – Tip reel step (inspored by Collier’s tune and Paddy Bon O’Brien). The step is in the second video. I demo the step and then break it down and practice it at 60, 80, 100 and the orginal recording. This is a step I created based on my deep dive into the Brighly or Darkly album. Explore the Brighly or Darkly link to see more steps inspired by this album. It is a project that I am working as my 3 month dancing goal.
Collier’s reel step with triples in the second half. Heel and ball versions. 60 bpm and 80 bpm. Please note this video and the one below I am starting on the left foot as the camra I used is a mirror of what I am actually doing. Feel free to put it on your reight or left foot start, up to you.
Afton asked a great question about dacning this step to other tune types. I got very excied about her question and dived into this and recorded a jig version with heels for you.
As a Polka
We will also dance the jig steps below at several tempos to get ready for Wednesdays class were we will dance all the jig steps and work on transtions between steps.
Keep Her Lit
Frist up Collier’s Reel step starting at 80 bpm. Add in some triples and improve and play (there is a video of woodsheding triplets above. Then keep the jig steps from the jig course lit. If you want to review before class here are those steps.
For Speed & Craic we will dance at orginal tempos for all the tracks. I will show slow, meduim and fast variations for each step and tune. You chose your level. If the music is too fast for you to dance the step that I am doing, dance any step in your repertoire or dance them at the speed you able (slow/med/fast). A musical note: the slow and medium speeds may not be the same rhythmic sound but they will be the same physical movement so you can practice muscle memory. I enourage you to have fun and not worry about daning anything perfectly. Test your knowledge, speed and craic (enjoyement of the music and dance). Have FUN!
Last term we worked on Mick and Aidan’s steps. This week we will woodshed what I calll Mick’s $500 step. We have danced it one sided. We will start with that but can look at making it two sides, using floor shuffle and traveling or moving with the step. If you want to use this for set dancing I highly enourage you to practice moving with step and keeping it one sided. Leads are left foot to start and follows are on right foot to start. If you want to use it for Sean-nós dancing you may want to dance it two sided.
both sided great for solo dancing or just dance one side, up to you
When I learned this from Mick he taught it to us as a one sided step. And he added an amazing lift (cut) in the pause. One of his signature moves. My personal goal would to be able to do that as well, but here I am many years later. I’d love for you to know no mater what level you are at there is something that might catch you up and keep you busy for years. This step is one of those for me. I still see new and cool things in it and aspire to be able to do them.
Páidí page with video of him dancing – if you know of video that I don’t have in the playlist please let me know. I’ve seen his name spelled so many different way’s it’s been hard to find all the footage out there.
Páidí Bán Ó Broin
Paddy Ban O’Breen
Maldon messing around with elements from this step
