April 13, 2005, Elizabeth MacDonald and her husband Dan Deslauriers were invited to give a special class. Elizabeth has formerly been teaching set dancing in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Later she moved to Germany, and has a class in Selfkant-Tuddern. You can email her using acappella@canada.com.

Elizabeth introduced us to a new set: the Cloonagh Lancers, a set from Maugherow, in County Sligo. Surprisingly, I did not find any description of the set on the web; only one (indeed, one !) reference to it, just stating that it was danced during some workshop with Pat Murphy in Nenagh, 1999. It is described in Pat's green book The Flowing Tide. There is also, as far as I could find out, no video on which it is displayed, and no CD on which you can find a set of tunes specifically arranged for it. This means that you have to collect some tunes of the adequate length yourself.

I hope you find the following description useful, and enjoy the images.

1st figure: Polka (104 bars, including 8 bar intro)
1) 8 bars:	top gent and 2nd top lady advance towards the middle, pass left shoulder to left shoulder (2 bars), turn the long way clockwise (270°, 2 bars) and swing in waltz hold (4 bars). This is as in the first figure of the Clare Lancers.
2) 8 bars:	dancers continue holding hands but release hands on shoulders, take own partner and half moon (i.e. top lady leads the chain around) untill back in place;
3) 8 bars:	Everybody swings his/her corner partner.
4) 24 bars:	Second top gent and first top lady dance 1) to 3).
5) 24 bars:	First side gent (standing on the left of first tops), and second side lady dance 1) to 3).
6) 24 bars:	Second side gent and first side lady dance 1) to 3).
2nd figure: Reel (168 bars, including 8 bar intro)
1) 8 bars:	top couples advance and retire twice, holding hands as in usual lead around
2) 8 bars:	top couples house around anti-clockwise holding hands as in the Connemara Reel set or the Walls of Limerick (crossed ceili hold)
3) 8 bars:	top couples advance and retire twice again, holding hands as in usual lead around
4) 8 bars:	top couples house around but this time clockwise around the other couple, and anti-clockwise around each other, still holding hands as before.
5) 8 bars:	top couples swing in waltz hold.
6) 40 bars:	side couples perform 1) to 5).
7) 80 bars:	Repeat 1) to 6) except that for the last swing, everybody swings together.
3rd figure: Reel (168 bars, including 8 bar intro)
1) 16 bars:	Everybody does a normal chain during 12 bars. Swing own partner when back home for 4 bars;
2) 8 bars:	top gent turns lady under 3 times, right hand in right hand, facing first her direction, then middle of the set, then opposite direction. On the last 2 bars each go backward to form line with sides. Meanwhile the opposite couple also separates to form lines such that now there are 2 lines, one with 3 men and one with three ladies. The gent and lady that so would be on the wrong side should also swap places during the last 2 bars, passing left, such that unisex lines are formed.
3) 8 bars:	lines advance and retire twice;
4) 8bars:	all dance back home for 4 bars, then swing partner for 4 bars;
5) 120 bars:	1) to 4) repeated in sequence with 2nd top couple, 1st side, and 2nd side doing the lady's turn.
4th figure: Polka (88 bars, including 8 bar intro)
1) 8 bars:	starting in a circle, all advance and retire twice; during the last 2 bars, ladies move to gent on their right;
2) 8 bars:	all house around in waltz hold;
3) 48 bars:	repeat 1) and 2) until housing with own partner finished;
4) 16 bars:	for 2 bars, gents to the middle, keeping right forearm crossed over left forearm, right palm down, left palm up, and lock hands. Ladies then for two bars hook in on the star that is formed, in between their own partner and right corner gent. Then swing to the left in christmas for 12 bars.