Article

Dancing in Southwest Donegal: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

Conor Caldwell

Published in: Ethnomusicology Ireland 3 (2015)

Pages: 15-38 | Published Online: 2015

https://doi.org/10.64208/SUYE5822

Abstract

Southwest Donegal has experienced a revival in interest in two-hand couples' dances in recent years. The Donegal fiddle advocacy group Cairdeas na bhFidiléirí has promoted these dances in tandem with its music education programme, allowing musicians to gain a deeper understanding of the style required to play for dancers. This essay examines the practice of country dancing in Donegal from both an historical and a contemporary perspective, while exploring the nature of musical experience for those involved in the current revival. The study argues that traditional music can be better interpreted by a dance-literate community and concludes with some observations on what lessons can be learned by the Irish music community at large in an era when dance and music inhabit very different spaces and social spheres.

Keywords: Donegal, dance, fiddle music, Cairdeas na bhFidiléirí, Glencolmcille, revival

Author: Conor Caldwell