11/28 Friday November 28 6pm Columbia Ecovillage Condominium 4647 NE Killingsworth St, Portland
Annual Butterball A night of friends, community, family, music, dance and song. Dance List Kilfenora Plain Merchant Ballyvoruney Lancers Connemara Open tunes/dancing (bands choice)
Geraldine Murrary & Friends Dylan Wilde Kevin Grgurich Brian Hart Amber Milmore Phil Meehan Maldon Meehan
Street Parking only Portland Cost: Donations encouraged, there will be a donation basket at the door
Dance List Merchant Lancers Ballyvourney Connemara Caledonian
Where: Waverly, 3300 SE Woodward St, Portland, OR 97202 When: Friday November 21, 7-11pm Cost: $15 general, $5 students, under 12 Free
Week 8: 12/23
Week 9: 12/30
playlist
Playlists
Included on this tab:
Spotify Playlist for the Term – A collection of tunes that match the sets we’re focusing on.
YouTube Playlist – Recordings and performances of the term’s featured set dances.
Lessons & Steps Playlist – Short videos of key movements, techniques, and steps for practice between classes.
Welcome to the Irish Set Dancing Playlists—a collection of resources to help you stay connected with what’s being danced at céilís near and far. Whether you’re preparing for a local dance, a weekend workshop, or a trip to Ireland, these playlists and notes are designed to help you build your repertoire and step confidently into any set.
Please use these resources to help you better understand the material. It’s not necessary to preview them before or after class, but they’re very helpful tools for remembering—and eventually memorizing—the dances.
Over the past three months, I’ve been keeping an eye on the dances that Bill Lynch (Set Dancing News) has been posting on YouTube. From that, I noticed a clear trend in which sets are most often danced. I’ll continue to track these through the Fall and Winter months to see if the dances shift or stay the same.
The goal is to include these popular dances in our 3rd Friday Céilí line up and in class, so that anyone heading to Ireland—or to céilís around the country—will be ready to jump in with confidence and familiarity.
Below is a list of the sets most often danced recently.
Most Danced Sets as of October 2025:
Connemara
Merchant
Moycullen
Lancers
Caledonian
West Kerry
Sliabh Luachra
Ballyvourney Jig
Plain
Kilfenora
Claddagh
Corofin
Danced Less Often:
South Galway
Ballyduff
Cashel
Mazurka
Labasheeda
Céilí Formula
Across the céilís, a common pattern emerged. For a typical three-hour céilí, most programs followed this general flow:
3 shorter sets (2–4 figures)
3 longer sets (5–6 figures)
1–3 couple dances (waltz, jive, or two-step) or a sean-nós dance demo
Many céilís finish with a lively four-figure dance such as the Connemara Set. Usually there are three sets before the break and three after.
Music & Video Playlists
Spotify Playlist for the Term – A collection of tunes that match the sets we’re focusing on.
YouTube Playlist – Recordings and performances of the term’s featured set dances.
Lessons & Steps Playlist – Short videos of key movements, techniques, and steps for practice between classes.
In this Zoom class we covered “The Crooked Road / The Foxhunter’s Reel” from Under the Moon by Martin Hayes. Edith noted that this track sits right around 126 bpm.
About the Album
“Martin returned to County Clare to record Under the Moon, gaining the accompaniment of his father, famed fiddler P.J. Hayes, and guitarist Steve Cooney. He is also joined by his American musical partners, accordion virtuoso John Williams and Portland guitarist/fiddler Randal Bays. This album contains all the spirit and eloquence of his eponymous debut and adds even more passion. No one can get inside a tune–be it barndance, jig, or reel–like Martin Hayes. Under the Moon is an album that stirs the heart and electrifies the mind!” – (Compas records)
No wonder the guitar caught my attention so much during class—it’s Randal Bays! He also plays guitar on Martin’s first album. It was a bit hard to hear the guitar clearly on Zoom, so if you can, go back and listen to the recording. It’s just gorgeous. Also I don’t have liner notes anymore and Steve is also on the Album but just from listening I’m pretty sure it’s Randal on that track.
A Note on Speed
Katrina asked a great question about tempo: Are we trying to get up to 120 bpm?
For my own dancing, when I’m at a session, reels are usually a bit slower—often 110–115 bpm. At a céilí, the tempo can be closer to 120 bpm, sometimes a touch faster depending on the musicians.
On stage, though—and this is where I personally get into trouble—the tempos can really take off. This often happens when I’m invited to hop in on the last tune of the night. The band is warmed up and flying, and if I’m not warmed up or haven’t been practicing at those higher speeds, I can find myself struggling.
So what I’m really saying is: I like to be prepared for those situations. I want to know what I can comfortably pull off before I’m standing on stage in front of a crowd. If I haven’t been dancing at those tempos for a few months, I can find myself in a bit of a pickle!
Through structured steps, humor and joy, explore these two Irish social dances with community. As you do, you’ll also learn about the culture from which the dances originated. All levels welcome.
Fall Term runs October 3 – December 12 (Notes: No class 10/17, 11/7, 11/21, 11/28. No black-soled shoes)
Set dancing teacher Padraig Mc Eneany posted a video of the French Lancers. It’s so cool! I’ve always hear about the Irish Set and other squares/sets coming from the orignial French Quadrila but never had the chance to see one. This is well worth watching if you are a set dance nerd. Same but different!
Barbra and Bret sent this to me and I wanted to share it with all of you:
History/Background – this a great video of set dancing on the site. One of the dancers look to me like the late Willie Keane. (the taller lead).
Kitchen Dance: The Corn Reeks (Na Corn Rigs)
In: hop (or drop) 123, hop (or drop) 123 (2x)
Out: hop back hop back hop back hop back
house: hop 123 (6x), hop back hop back hop back hop back
M 10/06 – am class, accordion, fumble, listen – 4 hours (had AI symptoms) – over did it, off on medication. Had to bring the walker back into the mix, not a good day!
T 10/07 rest, sets, listen – 6 hours
W 10/08 – am class, open studio – Melt Feet & Melt Lowback, pm class, listen – 3.5 hours
This first six-week term we’ll dive into the joy of Irish set dancing by learning a new set each week while also reviewing the set from the previous week. This layered approach builds confidence, helps steps and figures settle in, and keeps the dancing lively and fun.
At the 3rd Friday Céilí, we’ll bring it all to life by dancing the sets to live traditional music from both local favorites and visiting musicians. Nothing compares to the energy of a full set moving together with the music — it’s the heart of the tradition!
All levels are welcome. Beginners will learn smooth foundational steps and partner movement, while more experienced dancers will explore battering steps and footwork variations. Each dancer can choose their own level of challenge, and together we’ll create a strong, supportive set on the floor.
To support your dancing between classes, you’ll also have access to:
A Spotify playlist with music for the term
YouTube and Vimeo playlists with video references and lessons
Pre-recorded companion videos focusing on battering for sets. This is a great way to practice on your own or with a partner, and to build confidence in your footwork before bringing it back into the set.
By the end of the term, you’ll have several full sets under your belt, a foundation of smooth steps, and—if you’re ready to push further—a repertoire of battering steps to carry into céilís and beyond.
Each week, I will teach smooth steps for different tune types. We’ll focus on how to dance these steps with your partner and within the set.
Intermediate / Advanced
I’ve included video lessons of the battering steps. You can choose to work ahead or use them to review after class. In-person, I’ll briefly introduce each battering step, but the real progress will come from your own drilling and practice.
Battering steps are usually danced between 110–120 bpm.
Be patient with yourself—when the music feels too fast, switch back to the smooth steps until you’re ready.
Course home page – Week 1 & 2 are Clare Battering Steps, Week 3 – Polkas, Slides and Jigs. You will need to login with the login and password that I sent you. If you need it again email or text me maldonmeehan@gmail.com, 971-373-1374 and I will send it on.
This companion Zoom class (with recordings provided) is designed to complement the weekly set dancing course. It focuses on footwork, step practice, and moving with steps.
The material will strengthen your battering and help you feel more confident when dancing in the full set, whether in class or at a céilí.
A great way to build skills at home, on your own or with a partner.
Advance & Retires
playlist
On this tab you will find playlists for the music, sets and video lessons for the whole course.
week 1
History/Background
My teacher Padraig Mc Eneany posted a video of the French Lancers. It’s so cool! I’ve always hear about the Irish Set and other squares/sets coming from the orignial French Quadrila but never had the chance to see one. This is well worth watching if you are a set dance nerd. Same but different!
Barbra and Bret sent this to me and I wanted to share it with all of you:
History/Background – this a great video of set dancing on the site. One of the dancers look to me like the late Willie Keane. (the taller lead).
Kilfenora • Fig 5 (up-jig for sevens, down-jig aka polka for the chain)
Paris • Fig 4
Portmagee • all figures
South Galway • Fig 4
Partner
Set & Swing
Under the Wing
Sevens (up jig)
Group
Follows Chain
Under the Wing (tops/sides)
Wheelbarrow
week 2
Week 2
Steps
Connemara Step – This step can be dances with a hop or a step. I tend to dance it with the step rather than the hop. I takes less energy and I can have more stamina.
Stamp & Stamp – When I was first incorporating battering steps into the Connemara set I used this step a lot as it allowed me to travel further than the Connemara step. I still use it when I need to cover more distance in a set or traveling across the set.
Heels or Zig Zag – I love this step for moving sideways. It’s very nice in the back to back movement.
Finishing Step – This is a great step for dancing the last 2 bars of something. It takes the place of 2 Connemara step and adds a different rythmic pattern.
Full Connemara steps course – If you want to explore more steps check out the full Connemara Sean-nós course. I often use these steps in the Connemara set as well as the sets from the Aran Isllands.
Note on steps: this is a fast moving dance and you want to be sure to move with your skip step rather than the small tidy step you might use in other sets. This step covers a lot of ground and is a lively dance.
