What is Irish Set Dancing?

Irish set dancing (or"country set dancing"), is a form of social dancing popular in Ireland for over 150 years. These dances are based on French quadrilles (which were brought to Ireland by the British army in the nineteenth century), that were adapted by the Irish by integrating their sean-nós (old style) steps and Irish music.

The distinguishing characteristics of Irish set dancing is that it is danced in square "sets" of four couples (eight people), and consist of several "figures," three to six figures with a short pause between each, frequently repeated throughout the set. These "sets" are danced by people in a formation similar to that of American square dancing. Each part of the set dance (figure) is danced to music, mostly reels, jigs, polkas, hornpipes and slides. The sets come from various parts of Ireland and are often named for their place of origin; examples are the Siege of Ennis, Antrim Square, and the Clare Lancers Set.

At the CCÉ Ottawa Branch ceilis we enjoy dancing several of the most common Irish Set dances. To give an idea of what we do here is a clip of the first figure of the Antrim Square, performed by some member of the CCÉ Ottawa branch:  http://youtu.be/SkRLCgb_YeE

If you are interested in learning how to do Irish Set dancing, check our website for more information: http://www.ottawacomhaltas.com/events.php 

Our weekly class will start on January 7th, 2013, and we hope that you will join us. Remember, you do not need to know how to dance nor need to have a dancing partner. Everyone is welcome!

Solstice Song - A Celtic Christmas - Dec 18

Ars Nova

Presents:

Solstice Song - A Celtic Christmas

featuring:

Acacia Lyra: Janine Dudding & Susan Sweeney Hermon, Celtic Harp, Seán McKiernan, Traditional Instruments

Greg Weeks, Cello
James Farr, Guitar
D'Arcy McGuire, Bodhrán
Simon Honeyman, Counter-tenor
Master of Ceremonies: Richard Weeks

Tuesday, December 18, 2012 - 7:30 p.m.
Church of St. Bartholomew, 125 MacKay Street

Tickets: General: $25

(Ticket includes a special Wassail reception following the concert)
Tickets on sale at: Compact Music, CD Warehouse, Leading Note and Books on Beechwood as well as online at www.arsnova.ca and http://solsticesong2012.eventbrite.com

The winter solstice will soon be upon us. Surrounded by the quiet, warmth and beauty of the Church of St. Bartholomew , let voices, harps, and instruments transport you to misty valleys and snow-covered hills, filling you with the spirit of Christmas. Following the concert, ring in the season with a traditional Wassail Reception in the parish hall.

CCE Website and Blog Updates

In case you haven't noticed, the CCE webpage has undergone some updating. While the look and feel remains the same, the content has been updated. In particular a new tab has been added for Irish Dance, and the What's New tab contains news of recent events and, for example, currently has an audio file attached for your listening enjoyment. The Gallery page is also refreshed with recent photos and video from the November ceili. Contact Us and the Links page have been revised and checked, and pages which contain mostly unchanging information are now in both English and Irish. If you haven't read the latest newsletter, you will find a recent archive of newsletters on the Newsletter page.

Don't forget, if you have news or stories that are of interest to CCE Ottawa, send them to the Public Relations officer for inclusion in the newsletter. Also, you may submit them to this blog by emailing your story in plain text to the CCE-Ottawa Branch webmaster at:webmaster.ottawacomhaltas@gmail.com or you can submit your post at: webmaster8617.comhaltas@blogger.com.

Make Celtic Christmas Cards - workshop organized by Caint is Comhrá - 24 Nov 2012

Make your own Celtic Christmas Cards at a workshop organized by the Ottawa Irish Language Group, Caint is Comhrá, under the auspices of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Ottawa Branch.

Saturday, November 24th from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Bethel Fieldhouse, 166 Frank St., St. Luke's Park. (Off Elgin St. and between Frank and Gladstone on the east side of Elgin St.)

Cost: $10 - includes supplies provided (watercolour paint and card stock) and refreshments

If interested, please contact Toni Forsythe by Thursday at the latest:
613-233-9927 or toni144 at gmail dot com

"An Ghaeltacht sa 21ú hAois" / "The Modern Gaeltacht" / "La Nouvelle Époque du Gaeltacht" - 15 November 2012

CELTIC CHAIR LECTURE SERIES at the University of Ottawa

SIMARD 422, University of Ottawa

Thursday 15 November 2012 at 7:30pm

"An Ghaeltacht sa 21ú hAois" / "The Modern Gaeltacht" / "La Nouvelle Époque du Gaeltacht"

A "Gaeltacht" is defined as any area wherein the Gaelic/Irish language is spoken as the language of communication. Did you know that there was an Irish language spoken around the world today? Did you know there is a "Gaeltacht" in Canada?

What area fits this description, more than a decade in to the new millennium? Does the term "Gaeltacht" even exist any more? Eoin Ó Catháin will attempt to find out more on this question, and perhaps provide an answer. All are welcome.

Eoin Ó Catháin is an ICUF Visiting Scholar living and teaching in Ottawa. He is a native of County Clare, and has spent over 15 years learning Irish, and recently qualified as an Irish and French high school teacher. Language Planning and the Sociolinguistics of the Irish language are two of his main interests as regards the Irish language.

The Lecture will be given in English.
 

Caint is Comhrá meetups at Heart and Crown, Fridays!

English follows

A chairde,

Beidh an grúpa Caint is Comhrá ag bualadh suas lena chéile arís amárach sa "Heart and Crown" ag 5.30 pm sa Market. D'éirigh go geal linn an tseachtain seo caite; bhí sé iontach an Ghaeilge a chloisteáil á labhairt  go forleathan in Ottawa; idir ghlantosaitheoir agus chainteoir liofa, idir óg agus shean. Labhair an freastalaí as Gaeilge liom nuair a bhí mé ag imeacht!! Le cúnamh Dé, beidh an méid céanna agus an díográis céanna ann sa tráthnóna amárach.

Agus, a chairde, ná bígí buartha, tá an bord curtha in áirithe agam don tseachtain seo!

Más féidir a scéal a scaipeadh, bheadh sé iontach.
 - - - 

Hi all,

Caint is Comhrá will meet up again tomorrow night (9 Nov.) at the Heart & Crown, at 5.30pm in the Market. Last week was a great success, with about 15 people throughout the evening. It was great to hear Irish being spoken so widely in Ottawa, between beginners and fluent speakers, young and old. When I was leaving the waitress even spoke Irish to me! Hopefully, we will have the same amount- or more- and the same enthusiasm tomorrow evening

And, don't be worried, I have a table booked this time.

If you could spread the word, I would really appreciate it.

Feicifidh mé ann sibh/ I'll see ye there

Eoin.

Interview with Ellen MacIsaac on competing in sean-nos singing at the Oireachtas na Samhna, Letterkenny

CCE Ottawa Branch member, Ellen MacIsaac, who this past week competed for the first time in sean-nos singing at the Oireachtas na Samhna in Letterkenny, has graciously consented to a brief interview. This is what she told us in her own words.

Describe in your own words what sean-nos singing is all about.

For the uninitiated, sean-nos refers to a highly ornamented, unaccompanied style of singing in the Irish language. It has its own repertoire, regional styles, and adherents, quite apart from the English language tradition (In fact, you'll kind of insult Irish speakers by calling English language traditional singing "sean-nos"). It's an intensely personal, intensely emotional kind of singing that elicits intense opinions, discussions, and reactions. It's also all about community. You sing the songs of your community, you are supported by your community, and singing the songs in a session helps reinforce community ties.

How did you develop interest in sean-nos singing?

I got interested in the style when I went to Ireland to do my Masters' and my Doctorate [studies]. I wanted to understand the mythos that surrounded this kind of singing, and how people from outside of the traditional communities had gone about becoming part of the community of singers and known for this style of singing.

How did you qualify to go to Ireland to compte, and how do you prepare for competition?

I took part in the sean-nos singing competition at the Oireachtas Gaeilge Cheanada (www.oireachtas.ca), and got first place. The prize was the plane fare to come to Ireland to compete in the Oireachtas na Samhna, which is the festival on which the Canadian one is based. You have to understand, though, that the expectation is that you`ll have your songs memorized, so I spent most of the four months between the Oireachtas in Kingston and the one in Letterkenny memorizing words, practicing the ornaments, and figuring out the best key to sing the song in.

How was the competition organized?

The "old" Oireachtas (as people were calling it up in Letterkenny) has every competitor in a category sing a slow song. Based on how well they did, the judges call back five of the best to sing a fast song, and then make their decision of a winner based on that. In Canada, we tend to let everyone sing both a slow and a fast song. We don't have 20 competitors per category - yet!

Describe your experience at the competition?

The competition itself was like pretty much every other competition I've ever taken part in; it was nerve-wrecking to start with, but at a certain point the work I put in during practice took over and I just went up and did it. I won't lie, I was a little disappointed at not being called back for the second song, but I also realize that pretty much no-body gets the call back on their first time. The other competitors had been doing these competitions for years. But what was interesting to me was seeing how the singing style fits into the bigger whole of the culture - the singing, dancing, poetry, literature, music, all of it is one big continuum.

Do you have any advice for people that would like to compete at the event?

Yes, there's a couple of pieces of important advice for anyone who wants to give this a serious try:
a) Work at getting as much of the language under your belt as possible. The more you have the easier things will be for you pretty much all the way through.
b) It's helpful to pick a regional style and repertoire, and get familiar with the best, most representative singers of that area. Connemara style is the most commonly known, and the most popular style.
c) Mimic the style by mimicking the singers. Sing along to recordings.
d) Make sure to memorize your songs, at least one slow song and one fast.
e) Try to internalize the songs. Remember that most Irish have a "party piece" ready to go at the drop of a hat. Try to get so familiar with your songs that you can sing them at the drop of a hat.
f) Don't feel bad if you don't get the call-back on the first time; this kind of singing can take years to master, and even native Irish speakers take years to get good enough to get the call-back.

Now that you have experienced the competition in Ireland, would you like to try again?

I likely will.

Does Ireland provide any financial support to compete?

Yes, as mentioned before, they provide the plane fare to go over to Ireland to compete.

Thank you Ellen.

You're very welcome.

 

Ellen also provides this link to the television apprearance on a popular show. The day’s main news stories from a regional, national and international perspective live from Oireachtas na Samhna in Letterkenny (it is a big file so it takes a little while to upload).

The video clip is composed of three parts (separated by commercials). Fast forward the first two parts, if you wish. Part 1 is 18 minutes, part 2 is 14 minutes. Part 3: Description or Oireachas Canada is at 07:36, Gaelic Choir at 7:53, Aralt talking about Oireachtas Gaeilge Cheanada at 8:40, and Ellen's singing at 10:24.

 

Interviewer: Patricia Avendano