Set dancing classes on Friday nights in Cabinteely, Dublin, Ireland

Fridays: Cabinteely Parish Community Centre
At the back of St. Brigid's Church
Johnstown Road, Cabinteely Village
South Dublin
Next class: Fri 3rd Nov 2017 at 8pm (Steps 7:30pm-8pm)
directions upcoming dates

Map coordinates: 53.2613857,-6.150652 - click here for online map

Set Dancing Cabinteely

Cabinteely Parish Community Centre is at the back of St. Brigid's Church in the centre of Cabinteely Village. It is within easy reach of Cabinteely, Cornelscourt, Killiney, Loughlinstown, Dalkey, Glasthule, Ballybrack, Deansgrange, Sallynoggin, Monkstown, Dun Laoghaire, Mount Merrion, Blackrock and surrounding areas.

For details of classes in other locations, on other days of the week, click here.

A great fun way to exercise. Come along and try it, to see if it's something you'd enjoy doing.

You might like to check out the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page first and then use "Back" to come back to here.

If you decide it is something you'd like to have a go at, you'll be very welcome to join us any Friday. If you decide it's not for you, there is no obligation whatsoever to come back. Everyone welcome, partner not required. People who have never danced before are especially welcome.

Learn set dancing, join in the Ceili and enjoy the craic!

The most common reaction of people who try set dancing for the first time is "it's really great fun, I wish I had found out about this years ago!". There is absolutely nothing to lose by coming along and giving it a try - if you decide it's not for you, there is no obligation whatsoever to come back again. One thing for sure is that you will be made welcome. The majority of people come along on their own and we are all delighted to see new people coming through the door for the first time, whether they are men on their own, women on their own, or couples. Within minutes, you will feel totally at home with a friendly bunch of people, who are out to enjoy the craic. In addition to the weekly class, some of the gang meet up at local festivals and ceilis throughout the year, where the craic continues. You will not find a more fun way to exercise! While it's primarily a set dance class, we generallly also do a bit of ceili dancing, two-hand dancing and solo dancing, or Sean Nos, as it is commonly known.

Why not give it a try, it could well be the start of a new and very enjoyable lifelong pastime!

Class Format:

During the first half of the night, we teach a set from scratch, starting with the basics. No prior knowledge of dance is assumed or expected. This part of the night is particularly suitable for people who are new to set dancing
At around 9 pm, we declare a break, during which you have the option of taking a rest, or, if you play an instrument, you are very welcome to join our Learner's Session.
After the break, we typiclly dance through one, two or maybe even three sets, which we have covered previously in class. This gives the "regulars" a chance to put into practice some of the dances that have previously been taught. Newcomers are encouraged to join in, but it's absolutely no problem if you decide to sit out a set. The emphasis is primarily on having a bit of fun and no one takes it in any way seriously if something goes astray.
We typically finish off with the same short set each night, currently The Ballyvourney Jig Set, finishing at 10pm

The reason for finishing with the same set each night is that, if you attend regularly, you will know this set "like the back of your hand" and you will be able to dance it "on auto-pilot", without thinking, which is by far the most enjoyable way to dance. We typically stick with the same finish set for many months, so that everyone gets to know it well.

From time-to-time, we occasionally have a night of ceili and two-hand dances instead of set dancing. Ceili dances, such as The Siege of Ennis and The Walls of Limerick and two-hand dances such as Shoe the Donkey and The Stack of Barley are very popular at weddings and other family gatherings and whenever we want to celebrate our Irishness, such as around St. Patrick's Day.

This page mainly has details about to get to the set dancing class in Cabinteely Parish Community Centre. For directions to the venue, please see below.

>>>>> For more details about the class content, please click here <<<<<

Cabinteely Village is just off the N11, on the south side of Dublin. The Community Centre is at the back of St. Brigid's Church, the entrance to the car park is right alongside the church, on the left, as you look at it from the road.

Set Dancing Classes

The main class runs from 8pm to 10 pm. In addition, for those who can get along early, we have half-an-hour of Sean Nos solo steps beforehand, from 7:30pm to 8pm. Also, for anyone who plays an instrument, or would to have a go at playing one, we have a 10-minute Learner's Session when we take a break at 9pm.

Learn/practise the steps, figures & time of the popular sets and enjoy the fun of the ceili

No experience required - suitable for complete beginners

Partner not required, no need to book - just come along

Guaranteed fun!

Join us alone, with a partner, or with friends

Admission:

Admission to the class in Cabinteely is 10 Euro, payable on the night.

New dancers are welcome at any time. We start a new set from scratch every few weeks, so newcomers are not at any disadvantage. While of course, we'd love if you could attend every class, we realise that this is not always possible. You are always welcome to join us whenever you are available, whether you are an experienced or inexperienced dancer, even if it is only for a single night.

Directions and Dates:

For detailed online directions, click here to go to Google Maps and then click "Get Directions".

Directions:

Cabinteely Parish Community Centre is easy to find. There is parking available behind the church and, on-street parking is free after 7pm - but check the parking signs, just in case rules change.

By car:
- From the M50:
  Take Exit 16 off the M50
  Follow the signs for Dun Laoghaire
  As you approach the N11, turn left for Dublin (N11) and travel towards Dublin on the N11
  Continue with "From the N11" below.
- From the N11:
  Take the exit for Cabinteely and, when you leave the N11, you're straight into Cabinteely Village
  St. Brigid's Church is immediately on your your right (if you reach the Old Bray Road T-junction, then you've gone too far)
  The entrance to the car park is narrow, just after the church, tight up against the church wall
  If the car park is full, you should find street parking on the Old Bray Road, e.g. driving out of the church car park, turn right and then either right or left at the T-junction
By bus:
- Bus number 84a, from Blackrock to Bray, goes through Cabinteely Village
- Bus number 145, from Heuston Rail Station in Dublin City Centre to Kilmacanoge in Wicklow, will drop you near to Cabinteely Village, on the Cabinteely Bypass (N11)

Click here for an online pap - the marker shows the venue.

Upcoming dates:

no class on 27th Oct '17

Fri 3rd Nov 2017
Fri 10th Nov 2017
Fri 17th Nov 2017

no class on 17th Nov '17

no class on 24th Nov '17

Fri 1st Dec 2017
Fri 8th Dec 2017
Fri 15th Dec 2017

Christmas Break

To be decided whether the Friday class will continue in 2018

...

Please note that dates may change due to unforeseen circumstances - please check back here from time-to-time for updates.

More Information:

Well, there isn't really any more information about the dancing class - we've put everything we can think of here on this website, which is up to date as of today, 29th October 2017. But, if you have read everything on this website, including:

this page,

the home page,

and the FAQ (frequently asked questions) page,

and you still don't have enough information to make a decision on whether or not to come along, then we have forgotten something. In this case, please click here to contact us and we will get back to you by email as soon as possible. If your do not have access to email, please come along any Friday night at 8pm and we will answer your questions then.

Visiting Dublin:

If you are visiting Dublin, whether from abroad or elsewhere in Ireland, you are very welcome to join us any Friday night. The class provides a relaxed and friendly environment in which to enjoy the fun of Irish set dancing. The class runs each year from the second Friday in September until the last Friday in May the following year.

Mailing List:

If you would like to receive class email messages, such as a reminder when a new term is about to start, please enter you email address below and click "Join Mailing List" - you can unsubscribe at any time by replying to any message, indicating that you wish to unsubscribe.

Your email address: