hoose outside. It’s the same with dancing. But you have to hand it to Miss Milligan. To achieve what she achieved you had to be single-minded.
The Kandahar Reel
What do you think that future generations will think of our country dancing? I think the rest of the world will keep it alive. Like other Scottish institutions, they are more important abroad than they are in Scotland. I think it will survive, but I think it will become even more international. It’s fascinating how many emigrants to the US changed their names to Scottish ones! Scottish is a very respectable thing to be! (said with a twinkle in her eye!).
Margaret Bennett’s Definition of ‘Ceilidh’ Céilidh (Scottish Gaelic), céili (Irish Gaelic) means ‘a visit’. Traditionally, in Gaelic Scotland, Ireland and emigrant communities overseas, it denoted any household gathering of family and friends, pre-arranged or impromptu, including neighbourly ‘dropping in’. Céilidhean, now Anglicised in the plural to ‘céilidhs’, were the main form of entertainment, especially when limited daylight restricted the time for outdoor work. The long evenings were spent around the fire, which till the 1920s was in the middle of the floor of most thatched cottages. Every neighbourhood had homes known as taighean céilidh, ‘céilidh houses’ [sing. taigh céilidh] whose occupant(s) were tradition-bearers – storytellers, singers, and/or custodians of traditional knowledge. The céilidh was not only the Gaels’ main source of entertainment, but more importantly, was the setting in which every aspect of oral tradition was handed down from one generation to the next. Participants could expect songs, stories, music on the pipes, fiddle, accordion or trump, and dancing; exchanges of proverbs, riddles, jokes, pranks, tongue-twisters and folk-etymology; discussions about place-lore, customs, beliefs, traditional knowledge of medicine (human and veterinary), plantlore, weather-lore, animal husbandry, hunting, fishing, navigation, and craft-lore of every kind. A strict code of conduct was observed in the taigh céilidh: performers expected silence and complete attention, though hands were frequently occupied knitting, carding, twisting rope or any craft that could be done in dim light and restricted space. With the migration of Gaels to cities, the céilidh [céili] was adopted in urban areas to mean a social gathering for songs, music and dance, and, though originally held in homes, it shifted to the more formal setting of halls. By the 1920s céilidhs were re-imported to Gaeldom, denoting villagehall concerts in Scotland and dances in Ireland. The revised usage became more confused by increased movement between Scotland and Ireland, till, eventually, the expectations of a céilidh in Lowland Scotland became dancing. A new phrase, ‘céilidh dancing’, is rapidly replacing ‘village hall dancing’ (couple dances, sets of reels, strathspeys, or jigs), or ‘country dancing’ as popular trend reclaims for ‘ordinary people’ their own dances, which, since 1923, have been standardised by the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. Today, with the advent of television, the taigh céilidh is virtually extinct though Gaels still use céilidh simply to mean a visit.
The Spring 2010 issue of Scottish Country Dancer contained a report of a new dance, devised by serving officers of The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, while on active service in Afghanistan. Capt. Andy Colquhoun wrote a short article giving the background to the dance he devised with his cousin Lt Rob Colquhoun. This led to the RSCDS publishing a booklet giving the original instructions as devised for the reeling tradition as well as a version more suited to the RSCDS style of dancing. The booklet was launched at the Scottish Parliament and many dancers will be familiar with the photographs of our young dancers with seven serving soldiers in full dress uniform. The booklet, costing £4, was launched that autumn with £2 from each sale going to ABF The Soldiers Charity, which gives lifetime support to both serving and retired soldiers and their families in times of need. We are delighted to announce that recently a cheque was sent to ABF for £2,452 representing sales of 1,226 copies to date. Another cheque for £250 was sent representing sales at The Northern Meeting. This makes a total of £2,702 raised by the booklet sales. Jimmie Hill
Margaret Bennett ©
www.rscds.org
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