The Baile Bhúirne Reel Set

The Baile Bhúirne Jig Set.  Copyright © 1984, 1999 Brooks Academy.
Learned from Timmy McCarthy.


 
The Baile Bhúirne Reel Set, the second of the sets from Cúil Aodha /Baile Bhúirne, was learned from Timmy McCarthy on the same occasion as the jig set. It is essentially the same set as was published in “Irish Dances” under the title “The Cúil Aodha Set”. The version here contains none of the irregularities of the earlier version, and does, in fact, conform to the want it is danced in west Cork.  It is danced to polkas.

Baile Bhúirne Reel Set - Figure 1

Figure 1 Polkas - 80 bars
Opening Position: Opening position: All four couples join hands in front and face anti-clockwise around the circle, gents on the inside. 
A Lead Around All four couples dance anti-clockwise around until back in original places.  8 bars
B Figure WHEEL:  Each top couple turns to face the side couple to their left.  Each group of four dancers, 1st tops and 1st sides, and 2nd tops and 2nd sides, join right hands in the centre and dance clockwise for four bars, then turn, join left hands in centre and dance anti-clockwise for four bars.  8 bars
C Body Couples adopt the standard position. All four couples dance together one bar into the centre and one bar back to their own positions. They then dance two bars around to the position of the couple on their right, turning clockwise as they go. The four couples repeat this movement three more times until they end up back in their starting positions.  16 bars
D House All four couples dance house around.  8 bars
E Figure Repeat B. On this occasion the side couples turn to the top couples on their left.  8 bars
F Body Repeat C. 16 bars
G House All four couples dance house around.  8 bars

Baile Bhúirne Reel Set - Figure 2

Figure 2 Polkas - 96 bars
Opening Position: Opening position: All four couples join hands in front and face anti-clockwise around the circle, gents on the inside. 
A Lead Around All four couples dance anti-clockwise around until back in original places.  8 bars
B Figure (a) LADIES IN.  Each gent holds his partner’s right hand in his right hand. While the gents dance in place their partners dance past in front of them, turning anti-clockwise, until all the ladies are back-to-back in the centre, facing out (2 bars). They then dance back out past their partners, still turning anticlockwise until they are back on the outside again (2 bars). The gents’ right arms should now be around the ladies shoulders, still holding the ladies’ right hands in their right hands. Gents take the ladies’ left hands in their left hands (4 bars). 

(b) LEAD AROUND.  All four couples lead half way round to the opposite places (4 bars).

(c)  LADIES IN.  The four ladies dance into the centre and back out again, as in (a). On this occasion they dance in turning clockwise. They dance back out turning anti-clockwise, as above (4 bars).

(d) LEAD AROUND.  All four couples lead half-way around back to their own places again (4 bars). 
 

 16 bars
C Body All four couples dance the Body, as in figure 1. 16 bars
D House All four couples dance house around.  8 bars
E Figure Repeat B. 16 bars
F Body All four couples dance the Body. 16 bars
G House All four couples dance house around.  8 bars

Baile Bhúirne Reel Set - Figure 3

Figure 3 Polkas - 96 bars
Opening Position: Opening position: All four couples join hands in front and face anti-clockwise around the circle, gents on the inside. 
A Lead Around All four couples dance anti-clockwise around until back in original places.  8 bars
B Figure (a) SWING BEHIND:  The couples separate. Each dancer turns away from their own partner to the nearest lady or gent and swings with them (8 bars).

(b)  SWING OWN PARTNER:  The original partners reform and swing in place (8 bars).

 16 bars
C Body All four couples dance the Body, as in figure 1. 16 bars
D House All four couples dance house around.  8 bars
E Figure Repeat B. 16 bars
F Body All four couples dance the Body. 16 bars
G House All four couples dance house around.  8 bars

Baile Bhúirne Reel Set - Figure 4

Figure 4 Polkas - 80 bars
Opening Position: Opening position: All four couples join hands in front and face anti-clockwise around the circle, gents on the inside. 
A Lead Around All four couples dance anti-clockwise around until back in original places.  8 bars
B Figure SIDESTEP:  All couples face to centre, standing side - by side. Ladies sidestep to the left, in front of their partners, who sidestep to the right. Ladies and gents end up in each others places  (2 bars). All dance in place (2 bars). Then all sidestep back to their own places (2 bars), gents in front, and dance in place (2 bars). 8 bars
C Body All four couples dance the Body, as in figure 1. 16 bars
D House All four couples dance house around.  8 bars
E Figure Repeat B. 8 bars
F Body All four couples dance the Body. 16 bars
G House All four couples dance house around.  8 bars

Baile Bhúirne Reel Set - Figure 5

Figure 5 Polkas - 96 bars
Opening Position: Opening position: All four couples join hands in front and face anti-clockwise around the circle, gents on the inside. 
A Lead Around All four couples dance anti-clockwise around until back in original places.  8 bars
B Figure  (a) CHAIN: Each couple joins right hands and dances half-way around each other. Then the ladies chain half-way around the set in an anti-clockwise direction, and the gents clockwise, each dancer meeting their partner in the opposite position to their own (8 bars).

(b) SWING:  The four couples, who are now at opposite sides of the circle from their partners, swing in place (8 bars).

 16 bars
C Body All four couples dance the Body, as in figure 1. 16 bars
D House All four couples dance house around.  8 bars
E Figure Repeat B. 16 bars
F Body All four couples dance the Body. 16 bars
G House All four couples dance house around.  8 bars

Baile Bhúirne Reel Set - Figure 6

Figure 6 Polkas - 112 bars
Opening Position: Opening position: All four couples join hands in front and face anti-clockwise around the circle, gents on the inside. 
A Lead Around All four couples dance anti-clockwise around until back in original places.  8 bars
B Figure  (a) LADIES CIRCLE: The four ladies join hands to form a circle, and dance into the centre and out again, twice (8 bars). 

(b) WHEEL:  The four gents join right hands in the centre and dance four bars around clockwise, then turn (clockwise), join left hands in the ctnre nd dance four bars anti-clockwise back to their own places (8 bars).  Gents do not release hands or stop dancing but pick up their partners by placing their right arms around their waists, then wheel around with them until back in place (8 bars). 

 24 bars
C Body All four couples dance the Body, as in figure 1. 16 bars
D House All four couples dance house around.  8 bars
E Figure Repeat B. 24 bars
F Body All four couples dance the Body. 16 bars
G House All four couples dance house around.  8 bars