Irish Dancing Masters

I am sending this various lists because travelling dancing masters were the key to the spread of social dancing throughout Scotland, Ireland and England if not also Wales). https://www.mediafire.com/folder/53gleiq05549d/Ireland_-_Radio Tom and Joan Flett in their research, collecting and publishing during the 1950s/60s, tell many stories from their informants about the influence of travelling dancing masters. Chris B. RTE Radio 1 - Documentary 1976 "Hayfoot Strawfoot Dancing Masters" Synopsis 1 For centuries 'Dancing Masters' travelled throughout Ireland from village to village, teaching Irish dance to all they met. They were flamboyant characters, wore bright clothes and carried staffs. Now long gone - their history lives on. (First Broadcast 1976) Synopsis 2 Dancing Masters and old style dances are almost lost in Irish history - Dancing was once at the heart of every community - Prionsias O'Conluain travels to West Clare and discovers that dancing still holds a special place in some communities (Broadcast 1976) Description Hayfoot, Strawfoot, Dancing Masters The early history of Irish dance reveals a constant shifting of population through migration and invasions. Throughout the ages, many different dances and dance influences came to Ireland. During the eighteenth century, the dancing master appeared in Ireland. He was a wandering dancing teacher who travelled from village to village in a district, teaching dance to peasants. Dancing masters were flamboyant characters who wore bright clothes and carried staffs. Their young pupils did not know the difference between their left and right feet. To overcome this problem, the dancing master would tie straw or hay to his pupils' left or right feet and instruct them to "lift hay foot" or "lift straw foot". Group dances were developed by the masters to hold the interest of their less gifted pupils and to give them the chance to enjoy dancing. The standard of these dances was very high. Solo dancers were held in high esteem and often doors were taken off hinges and placed on the ground for the soloists to dance on. Each dancing master had his own district and never encroached on another master's territory. It was not unknown for a dancing master to be kidnapped by the residents of a neighbouring parish. When dancing masters met at fairs, they challenged each other to a public dancing contest that only ended when one of them dropped with fatigue. Several versions of the same dance were to be found in different parts of Ireland. In this way a rich heritage of Irish dances was assembled and modified over the centuries. Today, jigs, reels, hornpipes, sets, half sets, polkas and step dances are all performed. Solo dancing or step dancing first appeared at the end of the eighteenth century. 'Documentary on One is the home of Irish radio documentaries - the largest library of documentary podcasts available anywhere. We tell stories in sound, mostly Irish stories, with each documentary telling its own story' http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/2012/0207/646928-documentary-podcast-iris… http://www.rte.ie/radio1/podcast/podcast_documentaryonone.xml - then search the listings for 'dancing masters' ====