Bridge of Athlone

An Irish dance popular at Ceilis in America and Ireland.  Done in a proper longways set.

1-8                       jig twice, once on each foot*

9-12                  long lines forward with two threes

13-16             long lines back with two threes

17-32             repeat 1-16 BUT instead of long lines back continue forward: drop hands along long lines and pass right shoulders with your partner, turn to the right to face back across the set

33-64             repeat 1-32 back home

1-16                  top 3, 5, or however many couples step forward, take both hands, 7’s and 3’s down and back up the middle of the set

17-?      active couples turn to face up the set, head couple casts around. all couples follow head couple to the bottom of the hall, head couple makes an arch, other active couples go under the arch THEN make an arch; inactive couples go through the arch. There will be a new head couple. The old head couple will fold the arch back in on itself so the active couples keep the same order they were in originally.

The dance begins again when all couples have come back to form long lines again.

*Jig step: the jig step is best explained in ¾ time, even though the music for Bridge of Athlone is in 4/4 time.  When danced to the music the four counts that each jig takes must be imagined broken down into threes.

1-2                       land on both feet

3          hop on R

4-5                       step L behind R

6          hop on L

7          step R behind L

8          step on L

9          step on R

10-12             step on L

The jig always happens twice in a row, “once on each foot.”

1-2                       land on both feet

3          hop on L

4-5                       step R behind L

6          hop on R

7          step L behind R

8          step on R

9          step on L

10-12    step on R