Set Dancing / Sean Nos Classes in Clonskeagh (Windy Arbour / Churchtown / Milltown area), South Dublin, Ireland

Tuesdays: Our Lady's National School Clonskeagh,
St Columbanus Road,
Clonskeagh,
Dublin 14 Next class: Tue 31st Oct 2017 at 8pm (Steps 7:45pm-8:00pm)
directions upcoming dates

South Dublin, right beside the Windy Arbour Luas Station on Lower Churchtown Road (previously held in The Glenside Pub, Churchtown)

Map coordinates: 53.30169,-6.249898 - click here for online map

Set Dancing Class, South Dublin, Ireland, Tuesdays

Set Dancing Class, South Dublin, Ireland, Tuesdays

Great fun and good exercise as well. Come along and try it out for just one night any Tuesday evening, 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 Tuesday. 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 done set dancing before are especially welcome.

Admission is 10 Euro, pay on the night, no need to book, just turn up. The class is for for adults and is attended by people of all ages.

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!

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.

Directions and Dates:

To use Google Maps, click here to go to Google Maps and then click "Get Directions".

By car from the Luas Bridge (William Dargan Bridge) at the junction of Taney Road and Dundrum Road, Dundrum:

At the Luas Bridge, take the Dundrum Road in the direction of Windy Arbour and then either:
1. continue to the pedestrian lights & yellow box opposite the end of the high stone wall (Central Mental Hospital) and turn left onto St Columbanus Road and drive in through the housing estate. You should find on-street parking in the triangular area just before the school - there is a school car park, but the road changes to one-way just before the entrance to it,
2. continue on about another 300m on Dundrum Road and take a left onto Farrenbowley Park (opposite Pizza Max) and then left onto St. Gall Gardens and left again onto St Columbanus Road. Pass the school and the school's staff car park is on the right - if the car park is full, you should find on-street parking in the triangular area just after the school.
Either way, you'll end up driving through housing estates and you may think you've gone astray. If you are not already familiar with the location, then it would be a good idea to allow sufficient time to find the way on the first night, or use a SatNav or Google Maps, e.g. click here to see the location marked on Google Maps and use the "get directions" feature of Google Maps to get there.

After you've seen the location, you may be able to find a shorter route. For example Churchtown Road Lower is very close and it is possible to walk, but not drive, across the Luas line.

By Luas:
The Windy Arbour Green Line Luas Tram stop is literally right outside the door of the school. No directions needed, just get off the tram at Windy Arbour, walk past the bike racks and you're there - click here to view Green Line stops

On Foot or by Bike:
As the sign across the road shows, the school is just 2.3km from University College Dublin (UCD), which is less than 10 minutes cycling and less than 30 minutes walking distance.

Upcoming dates:

Tue 31st Oct 2017
Tue 7th Nov 2017
Tue 14th Nov 2017
Tue 21st Nov 2017
Tue 28th Nov 2017
Tue 5th Dec 2017
Tue 12th Dec 2017

Christmas Break

Tue 9th Jan 2018
Tue 16th Jan 2018
Tue 23rd Jan 2018
Tue 30th Jan 2018
Tue 6th Feb 2018
Tue 13th Feb 2018
Tue 20th Feb 2018
Tue 27th Feb 2018
Tue 6th Mar 2018
Tue 13th Mar 2018
Tue 20th Mar 2018

Easter Break

Tue 10th Apr 2018
Tue 17th Apr 2018
Tue 24th Apr 2018
Tue 1st May 2018
Tue 8th May 2018
Tue 15th May 2018
...

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

About the class:

The emphasis is on dancing for enjoyment. It really is great fun and well worth a try - just come along any Tuesday night at around 8pm. Most people turn up on their own, but if you can convince others to come along with you, so much the better - the more, the merrier! Most people get great enjoyment of of it, but, if you decide it's not for you, there is no obligation whatsoever to come back. So, there's a lot to gain and very little to lose.

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. While it's mainly a set dance class, we generallly also do a bit of solo dancing (Sean Nos), at some stage during the night.

Above all else, the primary objective is to have fun!

Beginners and experienced dancers are welcome at any time.

It is not necessary to book in advance, just come along.

Why not give it a try - you will be very welcome.

For more information about the class content, please click here

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 at the top of this page and click "Join Mailing List" - you can unsubscribe at any time by replying to any message, indicating that you wish to unsubscribe.

Visiting Dublin:

If you are visiting Dublin, whether from abroad or elsewhere in Ireland, you are very welcome to join us any Tuesday 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 mid-September until the last Tuesday in May the following year.

See you at the Ceili
Many class members meet up at ceili events and festivals throughout the year.

More Information:

After that, 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 Tuesday night at 8pm and we will answer your questions then.

Our Lady's National School, St Columbanus Road is next door to Windy Arbour Luas Station in South Dublin and is within easy reach of Milltown, Churchtown, Rathfarnham, Templeogue, Nutgrove, Terenure, Dundrum, Ballinteer, Goatstown, Clonskeagh, Dartry, Rathmines, Mount Merrion, Stillorgan, Kilmacud and surrounding areas.

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

Mailing List:

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