Dancers set for the archives
SOME of the great sets of the Kerry region were recorded on film for posterity on Saturday by the country's foremost authority on the traditional dancing form.
Westport set-dancing expert Pat Murphy, who has written what is considered to be the bible on the subject, was in Clounmacon Community Centre in Listowel on Saturday where Athea set-dancing master Tim Woulfe and three of his sets showed exactly how they were intended to be danced.
The film willl be stored in a special visual library that Pat Murphy is currently building up in an effort to preserve the set dancing tradition all over Ireland.
"I'd long regretted not doing something like this years ago and it was an absolute pleasure and honour to be involved with it," Tim said.
The renowned teacher, who works mostly in North Kerry, says the sets south of the Shannon have their own distinct feel.
"It's more or less a polka style south of the Shannon and that would be fairly unusual in Ireland as sets elsewhere are mostly reel based, as is the case in Clare across the river. It's a very attractive type of set we dance here and it was of great local value for Pat Murphy in his chronicling."
Four sets were filmed on Saturday: The Valentia Right and Left, The Meelin Victoria Jig Set, The Limerick Tumblers Set and, the only non-polka one of the day, The Lough Graney Set (from Clare).
Dancers taking part were from as far away as Milltown, Killorglin, Gneeveguilla, Castleisland and West Limerick and around Listowel of course. RIGHT: All in a whirl for the filming of the Rinceoirí Cois Féile DVD at Clounmacon Community Centre.
- DÓNAL NOLAN
