Sean Hayes’ barndance

Sean Hayes’ / If There Weren’t Any Women in the World
- - - a pair of barndances from the album - - -

Terry Teahan & Gene Kelly: Old Time Irish Music in America
LP (vinyl): Topic 12TS352
as yet not released as a CD…

According to the liner notes of the Cullinan and Crotty CD, this tune was also recorded by James Morrison in 1936.

Barndances: Belle of the Ball / Hayes’ Favourite

This set, from an old 78, was included on the double cassette set “The Professor” - Viva Voce 001 (1989)

MUSIC: Barndance or March

HOLD: For couples with partners side-by-side, Man on her Left/Woman on his Right, in an open hold, waist-waist or waist-shoulder, and facing forward in the Line-Of-Direction (LOD), which is as usual Anti-Clockwise (ACW/CCW) around the dance area.

Basic Steps - walk, 3’s or skip-change (=hop123), step-hop…
‘hops’ are more ‘skips’, with the heel just rising and falling, appropriate to the usually unforgiving surfaces danced on in Eire…

PART *
BARS 1-2
starting on outside feet (M-L/W-R) - three walking steps in the LOD (forward/advance) and hopping on the outside foot kick the inside foot forward (M-L,R,L,hop/W-R,L,R,hop)

BARS 3-4
backup (back/retire/reverse) three steps then hop on the inside foot kicking the outside foot back or to the side (M-R,L,R,hop/W-L,R,L,hop)

BARS 5-6
Partners seperate with three walking steps moving away from each other and diagonally forward - men to their left toward center of set,

woman to their Right and away - then hop (or ‘clap’ your hands together, with or without the ‘hop’)

BARS 7-8
Return back to your partner with three steps and continuing diagonally forward (with or without a ‘hop’) and taking your partner in a waltz/ballroom hold

PART **
BARS 1-2
‘Step-Together-Step’ in LOD, partners in the hold and facing
(M-LRL to his L/W-RLR to her R)

BARS 3-4
‘Step-Together-Step’ - with opposite footwork and back the other way, CW.
(M-RLR to his R/W-LRL to her L)

BARS 5-8
Polka/waltz round, 4 X 123 and ideally twice round, turning as a couple Clockwise (CW) while progressing around the dance area in the LOD

NOTE: - there is the option here to finish the last two bars, part **, 7 & 8, with 4 X step-hop, the couple continuing to turn CW, twice round ideally, and progressing around the dance space ACW, or 2 X 123 & 4 X step-hop.

ALSO - the dance can be danced ‘smooth’, without hops/skips, or with the hops throughout or as a the dancer prefers… Also, in some situations and groups the ‘seperate & together’ is just that, to the side and back, without continuing to progress forward.


AND - as a ‘Mixer’ or ‘Progressive’, for bars
PROGRESSION/as a ‘Mixer’: part *, BARS 7 - 8
Instead of dancers returning to their ‘original partners’ they will progress taking a new partner:

- the Man continues forward and diagonally to his Right to the next woman forward of his original partner while the Woman dances to her Left to take the hold with the next man behind her partner…

This can be messed around with if there is a ‘caller/prompter’, and she/he may change the order of things, such as ‘men forward two’, or ‘woman forward one’, but if that happens it only does so once the dancers are comfortable with the basics, and the caller will ‘warn’ the dancers before hand of the possibilities, and with the ‘walkthrough’ if there is one…

As with many of these couple dances, there are certain similarities, things shared, such as the option to finish the last two bars of the dance with 4 X step-hop (or hop-step). One similar dance to this are the various versions of what is called ‘The Military Two-Step’…

NOTE: Some groups who do the progression also do it other than listed here, with the woman progressing forward to the next man in front of her original partner, the man to the woman behind his original partner.

I know this tune from John Carty and Brian McGrath’s fiddle and banjo duet playing on their “The Cat that Ate the Candle.” I don’t remember what they call it. “Hayes’ Favourite”?

As above - except:
Part *
- - -
BARS 7-8
Return back to your partner with 1,2,123 = step, step, stamp-stamp-stamp
(M-R,L,RLR/W-L,R,LRL)
Part **
BAR 1
step-together-step-hop = 123hop, in LOD, partners facing in a closed hold
(M-LRL-hop/W-RLR-hop)
BAR 2
REPEAT 123hop with opposite footwork and direction.
BARS 3-8
Polka/Waltz around, 6 X 123 and ideally three times around.
NOTE: also as above, the last two bars can be with 4 X step-hop…

For a ‘relative’ see ‘The Connemara Barndance’ as described in the comments for ‘Peach Blossoms’:

https://thesession.org/tunes/3469

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on October 20th 2007 by gian marco.

X: 2
T: Hayes’
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: barndance
K: Gmaj
|: D>G |
B2 B2 c>Bc>A | d2 g2 g>fe>d | B3 B c>Bc>B | A3 A- A2 D2 |
B2 B2 c>Bc>A | d2 g2 b2 a2 | g>dB>d e>cA>F |1 G3 G- G2 :|2 G3 G- G>g ||
|: fg |
a2 g2 B3 g | f2 e2 A3 G | F>GA>B c>de>a | (3agf (3gfe d>gf>g |
a2 g2 B3 g | f2 e2 A3 G | F>GA>B c>de>f |1 g2 f>a g>g :|2 g2 f>a g2 ||

Source: “Are Here Again” by Trad Lads
Transcription: gian marco pietrasanta

# Posted on October 20th 2007 by gian marco

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ooH_9wW4og

play video

As heard in session, played by someone who learned it from David Munnelly. A simplified version without any ornaments or hornpipey notation.

A nice recording of Hayes‘ Favourite is by P.J. Hernon (accordion) and Maria Lynn McHugh (piano) along with The Chaffpool Post on the great album The Mountain Road (“a compilation of tunes popular in South Sligo”), produced in 1999 by John Carty, Colm O’Donnell, and Gregory Daly.