Dancing in Southwest Donegal: historical and contemporary perspectives

Southwest Donegal has experienced a revival in interest in two-hand couples' dances in recentyears. The Donegal fiddle advocacy group Cairdeas na bhFidiliéirí 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 expositing the very nature of musical experience for those involved in the current revival. The study demonstrates how 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.