I must have watched this video a thousand times. Never get sick of it. Willie Keane is some dancers. It has to be the most popular video among the children at my dance club. The just love listening to the battering :)
This is such a great piece of dance production - clear, focused, sharp with great audience interaction. And those feet! And those ladies' shoes!! Hard to beat!
Amazing to watch! I'm so grateful that such gems are memorialized. I love how carefree and celebratory the dance and music is- especially because as a dancer myself, I can tell that the timing and rhythm are carefully kept. That's truly impressive! Hope to watch this a thousand times more. Thanks for sharing!
In my opinion this is one of the classic videos showing the talents of Clare set daancing. I just close my eyes and listen to the togetherness of the music and dancers. Thanks for posting !!
Had the pleasure of meeting set dance champion Tone Darcy in June 2009. What a lovely gentleman He made my two friends and I so welcome in his home. We couldn't believe it, when he showed the wonderful trophies he had won for dancing through the years. Tone was a mine of information regarding set dance. Since then we have had the privilege of watching the dancing on You tube. We hope Tone is well and still going strong. We would love to hear from him. Three Dublin friends.
What makes Clare Set Dancing so special is the "battering" of the feet, which not alone adds life to the dancers but also to the musicians. Up The Banner!
@clareabannerman Hi Clare!!!I are you still on youtube? I saw you uploaded video 2 hours ago.... I have a question and a huge request! Are you familiar with Banish Misfortune??? That band released a dvd years ago with their music and one clip was recorded along with irish dancers. It is from early 2000s I believe. Young girl were dancing on wooden podium. I loved it and i d love to see it again.
@@clarebannerman Great Video..reminds of my mom dancing around the Kitchen,prepping food for the Sunday afternoon lunch/meal and us kids laughing! ..And yrs later I have a American Cuz'n who went on to be the first overseas girl to win the North American,All Ireland and World Irish Dancing Championships! .And up until about 18mnths ago she was touring with the "Riverdance " company all over the world!! ,
I was in the Ulster American Museum and this video was on. I heard it in the background and immediately recognised Willie's step. I knew him years ago when I danced. He had such a lovely way about him. Amazing after 25 years that I recognised the sound of it straight away though I didn't recognise him because he was an old man when I knew him. Brilliant dancer with such a distinct step.
I didn't know Clare was in ulster. News to me! Also didn't know that Ulster scots where irish I have always been told they aren't according to the ulster scots themselves.
I talk a lot about Michael on RU-vid because he's just not talked about enough. He played for The Chieftains already known for doing things quite differently. But as a soloist, boy does his traditional sound shine through. The sound of Michael will never let me forget his contributions to the band, even though his he left quite early. He never even recorded many solo albums. Seamus Tansey is great, and so was Matt Molloy. However, Michael Tubridy is my all-time greatest flute player.
Clarebannerman, to let you and viewers know: At some points in this clip you can find Seamus Tansey sitting in the front row of the audience. Examples are 0:13, 2:03 and 2:34. Also, immediately after the set-dance, Seamus came out to play a solo, his famous The Shaskeen/The Old Copperplate set. Link: watch?v=OTo5Ae7Vz3c I have the 1994 compilation of Come West Along the Road production, which has both clips of Ag Deanamh Ceoil, so I know. The last tune in this set is The Flogging Reel.
The only reason Irish culture wasn't stamped out completely was because of the common ground it shared. If it wasn't for the equality of expression and a misunderstood democracy ahead of its time, all this beauty would never shine.
Spot on and women were always free in a culture which danced sets and changed dancing partners. We survived both the British and more seriously the Roman Catholic empires...................
yup. the myth of the irish freedom, twas only a handover from brits to rome to Brussels. and true say that the traditions survived best in the areas that were the boggiest and least workable coz the invaders didn't bother with them places for exploitation. tho I do have to laugh a little at comhaltas, a good organisation in many ways but funny to try standardise a thing that is a flowing evolving thing. , like a set of drums is okay to be played but guitars were frownd upon. the only way to get thru the winter is with a tune a dance and story and song, and then come the summer you have them perfected
