Hullichan jig

From the New England Fiddler’s Repertoire collection.
Trevor

Randy Miller & Jack Perron, 1983 / 2nd edition 2003

page 8: “Hullichan”

https://www.fiddlecasebooks.com/
https://www.fiddlecasebooks.com/store/c2/Books.html

“168 classic traditional contra dance melodies, from Batchelder’s Reel to Money Musk to Portland Fancy and beyond -- the standard contra tunes in one source.”

~ also their publication:
“Irish Traditional Fiddle Music”

While this is a tune played on this island, more usually English and Scottish settings and ceilidhs, and North America, there are also a few dances associated with it, and a way of swinging…

The swing first, or one way with it:

* Facing your partner move forward and to the left until you are standing beside each other, Right-shoulder to Right-shoulder ~

* Both of you bend your Left-arm placing it behind your back, palm out (kind of like a ‘full-Nelson’) ~

* put your R-arm out to the side and linking arms through and behind your partners back taking their Left-hand in your R-hand / their Right-hand in your Left-Hand…

Other descriptions of the hold & swing Online with other ways to swing:

http://sca.uwaterloo.ca/~tcd/aboutus/swings.htm

http://www.io.com/~entropy/contradance/articles/swing-positions.html

The swing hold is also referred to by some as ‘The Tulloch’…

Another way of describing the hold ~ Link Right-arms with your partner and then reach behind their back, while at the same time place your left arm behind you and take your partners Right-hand in your Left…

Are these still danced at English & Scottish ceilidhs?

The first two dances have been published in a number of different books, English and Scottish and American, including the English Folk Dance & Song Society’s “Community Dance Manual”…

The music used is a 32 bar jig, AABB
The following description is twice through the music, or 64 measures / bars…
Formation: a set of 4 dancers / 2 couples in line M1 & m2 = men / W1 & w2 = women
Partners facing, women in the centre back-to-back M- -W w- -m

# of Bars / Measures: the description

1 - 8: Partners pas-de-bas to each other 16 beats M- -W m- -w
1 - 8: Partners ‘Hullichan’ for 16 beats M-W w-m
Finish with Women facing each other in the centre of the set M- W- -w -m
1 - 8: Women pas-de-bas to each other 16 beats, men do nothing
1 - 8: Women ‘Hullichan’ for 16 beats M- W-w -m
Finish with Women back-to-back having changed places, facing the other man
1 - 8 pas-de-bas with other man 16 beats M- -w W- -m
1- 8: turn other for 16 beats M-w W-m
Finish with the Men facing each other in centre of set w- M- -m -W
1 - 8: Men pas-de-bas to each other for 16 beats, women admire
1 - 8: Men ‘Hullichan’ for 16 beats w M-m W
Finish facing your partner, couples having exchanged positions, men in the middle
w- -m M- -W
Repeat as you please…

Another description online as called by Bryan Low:

http://www.ceilidhmor.com/
http://www.ceilidhmor.com/dances/

Discussion: What One Octave Tunes in D exist?
# Posted on September 19th 2007 by Sarah the Flute
https://thesession.org/discussions/15202

This is to give them a change from the slip jigs I’ve been dishing out ~

X: 2
T: The Hullichan Jig
M: 9/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: D Major
|: A |
D2 D FDF | A2 A AFD | GFG B/c/dB | AFD E2 A |
DED FD/E/F | ABA F2 d | cBA GFE | D3 D2 :|
|: F |
A2 A FGA | B2 B BG/A/B | cdc ABc | dF/B/A dcB |
ABA FGA | BGB d2 B | cBA GFE | D3- D2 :|

Ceol - yes, certainly in England! The Hullichan Jig is quite often done at ceilidhs and barn dances - in my neck of the woods, anyway.

I can certainly recall having to play it at least once in the past year. Less popular than is was 25 years ago, though …

From Robert Dale Owen’s MS, 1826, Indiana, US. He was born in Scotland and his father Robert Owen set up
the village of New Lanark near Glasgow (well worth a visit). Robert Dale was part of the New Harmony
settlement in Indiana and music and dancing were things he considered important. Most of his busy life was
spent in US.

Edit : deleted bar in 3rd line that had been repeated in error.