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Sets.ie
the website for Irish set dancers
Welcome to Sets.ie, a website about Irish set dancing with an abundance of upcoming events, articles and photos. Set dancing is probably Ireland’s most popular form of traditional dance, and can be enjoyed all across the country and in many places around the world. For an introduction to set dancing, please read the article The Joy of Sets.
The site’s sections are described below with links to some of the contents. You can use the section titles as shortcuts—tap one and you’ll return to what you were last looking at. To return to the home page from elsewhere in the site, tap Sets.ie at the top left. The site’s full contents are available from menus which appear when you tap the capitalised heading or headings at the top of the window.
The Home page appears by default when you visit Sets.ie. If instead you would like skip the home page and return directly to what you were last looking at on your previous visit, tap the second option below.
Calendar
thousands of Irish set dancing events
Today’s Calendar
ALL LOCATIONS
Sets.ie is the best source of information on upcoming set dancing ceilis, workshops and classes. Events taking place today are shown above.
Where would you like to go dancing? Tap on a location below to see the full calendar of events taking place there—
Ireland Munster Leinster Ulster Connacht Co Cork Dublin Co Clare Co Kerry Co Galway Co Meath Co Donegal Co Sligo North America USA New York Massachusetts California Pennsylvania New Jersey Canada Europe France Germany Italy Britain Australia Japan All locations
Do you follow a favourite ceili band? Look up the schedules for dozens of bands and musicians, including these popular ones—
Abbey Brian Ború Matt Cunningham Duntally Glenside Long Note Ger Murphy Neily O’Connor Tim Joe & Anne Johnny Reidy Rise the Dust Shandrum Star of Munster Striolán Taylor’s Cross Uí Bhriain
Find classes and workshops by hundreds of teachers, including—
Syl Bell Gerard Butler Maureen Culleton Marie Garrity Edwina Guckian Pádraig McEneany Pat Murphy Timmy Woulfe
If your interests are more specialised, try looking here—
Don’t see what you’re looking for above? You can also view events for individual venues, callers and contacts, and more. Browse the full menus by clicking on HOME above and then choose the Calendar option. You’ll then see two extra menu headings giving access to all event categories. Also, look for the search icon % at the top right of the calendar page—tap it, type a few letters and you’ll see a list of matches.
Note that classes are normally hidden from view—there are so many that it makes it hard to find other events. If you’re specifically looking for classes, make sure they are visible. Tap the appropriate option below to change the setting.
Set Dancing News
articles from the magazine for Irish set dancers, 2014–2017
Referred to as “the set dancer’s Bible” by some of its loyal readers, Set Dancing News magazine was published bimonthly for nineteen years from December 1997 to December 2016, a total of 115 issues. Here you’ll find articles from issues published from 2012 through 2016, plus a few from 2017 which have not been seen before. Earlier issues will be added until the full collection is online.
Shown below are links to the most recently added articles—just tap the one you’d like to read. To see all the issues and articles available, tap on HOME at the top and choose Set Dancing News. You’ll then see two more menu headings allowing you to choose any issue and article. While viewing articles, tap the search icon % at the top right to perform a text search of all the available issues and articles.
Photos
the largest online collection of Irish set dancing photos
A team of photographers documented set dancing events across and beyond Ireland on behalf of Set Dancing News magazine. Only a fraction of the photos from each event were published in print, but many more are available in the hundreds of albums on Sets.ie. The collection stretches back to 2001, and is organised by year and venue or event. Links to the latest albums are shown below—tap one to see its photos. To browse the full collection, tap the word HOME in the green banner at the top and choose Photos from the drop-down menu. This reveals two further menus which allow you to choose years and albums. When browsing photos, tap on the search icon % at the right of the top green banner to do a menu search—type three or more letters to see all the matching albums.
Special thanks is offered to all the photographers who volunteered to take the pictures available here. Among them are Joan Pollard Carew, John Finbarr Crowley, Chris Eichbaum, Patsy Finn, Carol Gannon, Maura and Pat Lyons and Pat Murphy, and you’ll see the names of others as you browse.
The Set Dancing Anthology
interesting and historical reading about dancing
The excerpts here are about dancing in the past and are taken from books and magazines published from twenty to 200 years ago. There are some first-hand accounts of ceilis and learning to dance in Ireland, and several on dance etiquette. The most recently added excerpts are listed below—tap on one to read it in full. To browse the full collection, tap on HOME in the top green banner and choose The Set Dancing Anthology. You’ll see two additional menus which let you choose one of five volumes and the articles therein. Tap the search icon % at the right of the top green banner to type some text and find matching articles.