The title refers to unpublished type written notes of an interview with Mr James Moynihan, who was a well-known dance master in Cork City. The interview took place in 1938 and the report remained handwritten in two parts. It appears that only one part of the notes survived. Two typed copies were made in 1962. One copy was donated to the Cullinane Archive Collection (CAC) by Mrs Peggy Barry, Cork City, who was a pupil of Moynihan in her younger days. I recorded her comments on a short video available in the CAC housed in ITMA.

The 17 surviving typed pages include a description of a number of reel steps which date back to the mid/late 1800s. Some of the steps are over 100 years old but were known to me and performed by me some decades ago.

The terminology used by Moynihan, his general comments, his advice on teaching techniques and the necessary knowledge of the music are of interest decades later. The surviving pages include Introduction (3 pages), Memorandum (pages 1–4), Descriptions (annotations of six reel steps, pages 5–12) and Conclusion (pages 13–14).

Background

Miss Eileen Curran who was involved in the original interview in 1938, decided to type up the surviving section of her notes in 1962. It is not known who possessed the other (lost) part of the notes. In my younger days Miss Curran was well-known in Cork as an elocution teacher, but had nothing to do with Irish dancing. She continued on the tradition of The Loft, which had been founded by the late Fr O’Flynn. This prestigious and well-known premises were located near the Butter Exchange of international fame and now known as the Firkin Crane. It was located off Shandon Street on the north side of Cork City. The Loft specialised in involving the youth in cultural activities including classes and training in elocution, singing and Irish dancing and in Shakespearean productions. I myself was involved in some of The Loft activities and knew Miss Curran very well in my younger days.

The section of the notes that were lost contained a broad outline of the history of Irish dancing as recorded by James Moynihan and included an account of Irish dancing in Cork in the period 1880 to the 1930s. By 1938 Moynihan was an elderly man and no longer able to dance without some support. He taught dancing not only in The Loft but also at the nearby Butter Exchange. Kerry and North Cork visitors on delivering their butter and receiving payment would spend a night or two relaxing and attending dance classes with Moynihan. Having obtained their money from the sale of their butter, they did their shopping in the area nearby during the day, and relaxed by attending Moynihan’s classes. It is my opinion the famous Butter Road acted as a conduit carrying the Cork City dancing steps and style back through North Cork by way of the Sliabh Luachra area and on into Kerry.

Moynihan had his own version of the ‘Blackbird’, which was a long set, in which the second or long part was a single composition by Moynihan. It differed to the short setting popularised by Stevie Comerford. The latter was easier and made use of a known step with a leader piece added on. The latter is the universal version danced worldwide. The Moynihan ‘Blackbird’ was much more complicated and intricate and was favoured by more senior or advanced Cork dancers including Nancy Attridge and Pat Cowhie Ryan, to name but a few.

I have tried to preserve the Moynihan long ‘Blackbird’ by presenting a trophy at a Cork Feis specifically for that version. I also included it on a DVD of traditional set dances (published in 2013, which is still available). The DVD includes teaching demonstrations of original Cork set dances and their origins and composers as well as advice on what to avoid in executing traditional steps and set dances.

According to Cormac O’Keeffe and Peggy Barry, Moynihan was older than O’Keeffe by some 10 to 20 years, he was born in the 1880s(?). His setting of the ‘Blackbird’ was much older than the short setting by Stevie Comerford. O’Keeffe also related to me how he visited Moynihan as an old man on his deathbed in order to learn the single jig as “Moynihan was the only teacher in Cork who had the original single jig” and this was also verified for me by Peggy Barry when I interviewed her in the 1990s. O’Keeffe informed me that Moynihan was an old man who had great knowledge and interest in the history of dancing from the early/mid 1800s.

Comments and Observations

Moynihan dated nearly all the reel steps back about 80 years from the time of his interview in 1938. This means that these steps were being danced (and in that style) as far back as the 1860s. They are by now approximately 100 to 160 years old. He not only dates the steps back to the mid 1800s but through his descriptions of the movements he gives an insight into the steps, the style and execution over the 80 years prior to his interview in 1938.

He indicates that the step ‘The toe in the fire’ was popular in Cork over 80 years ago (i.e. back to 1860). ‘The springing reel’ which should be “full blooded” and with a “sense of flight” was eminently traditional in Cork as far back as 1860. ‘The flying reel’ which contains a “landing about 3 foot to the side” was popular in Munster some 75 years ago.  He described ‘The back to back reel’ as having been danced in Cork as far back as 1880. In fact, my own mother and her sister learned that step as early as 1910 and even taught it to my sister and myself. It was a very popular connecting step danced by a couple and was very popular in 3-Hand, 4-Hand and even in 8-Hand dances. It was a Cork practice to combine such solo steps with céilí/figure dance movements.

The ‘Run out jig’ step was likewise very popular in couple jig dances. It was performed in between the dancers performing their own individual steps as in the couple heavy jig named Fr O’Flynn – a 2-Hand jig danced to the tune of the same name. I have taught the ‘Run out jig’ and the ‘Back to back reel’ step at a workshop for Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ). I also taught the latter step to all those present at the Launch of CAC at the ITMA premises in September 2023, as an example of a 100-year-old step and in an effort to preserve and foster appreciation in these old steps.

‘The rattler’ as included by Moynihan was a popular step up to a few decades ago. It was attractive and very popular because of the tipping/battering by the full line of dancers beating out the tipping or battering simultaneously. It was usually danced as the final step of the performance. Moynihan lamented that the practice was being abandoned in many cases but it was still the norm in my younger days. I describe it as the Riverdance ending long before Riverdance!

Moynihan (introduction, page 2) contains some very wise observations on the art of teaching dancing and of communication with pupils. He stressed the importance of being familiar with the music and the tunes. Most children and even teachers nowadays are unfamiliar with the music and cannot hum, sing or lilt the music. Moynihan urged dancers to get familiar with the dance tunes by the teacher getting pupils to hum the tune and later on to lilt the tune – “they will feel a sense of having accomplished something if and when they can lilt a dance tune.” He also listed (page 4) the names of 16 different tunes most suitable for step dancing and encouraged the dancers to become familiar with these tunes.

I myself regret the decline in Irish dancing of the ability of teachers and dancers to hum or lilt the tunes. This is essential for the dancer to develop good rhythm especially in the heavy dances and not to rely completely on the metronome or the CDs, which can convey tempo but not convey rhythm.

He encourages the student to cover and move about the stage. Even allowing for the smaller stage size, this was unusual but Peggy Barry was adamant that he did encourage use of the stage and movement out to the side of the stage (on both right and left foot). “A good dancer of the reel should cover the entire stage area with the right foot and (also) with the left foot.” He refers to the ‘The springing reel’ as bringing the dancer to the left front corner of the stage in a “beautiful flight of movement.” He uses some strong phrases especially for the reel e.g., “flights of movement” and “full blooded” etc.  Peggy Barry emphasised that “this was how Moynihan taught and emphasised the movement and the use of the corners of the stage” (on my video). This was in strong contrast to how I myself was taught – frequently being reprimanded by my teacher for moving too much or even lifting too much (i.e. at or above the knee). For this reason her reminiscence interested me greatly.

Moynihan, in a very rare example for Irish dancing, lists about 17 different movements in the reel steps using different terms for each – (bottom of page 3 and 4). He gives a six-line description of the cross key and the half cross key (bottom of page 4). Unfortunately, the various movements of the hornpipe were part of the notes that did not survive. He stated, “Traditional reels are suited to both males and females” but then suggested that it is singularly suited to young girls.

As early as 1938 he urged pupils to acquire knowledge of the steps because they are “essentially a healthy exercise and will help them to develop physically as well as mentally.” The beneficial effects of Irish dancing appear to be receiving attention from medical sources in recent times and especially for the elderly to assist them to retain a healthy mind. But Moynihan recognised the health benefits of Irish dancing almost 100 years ago.

The comments and observations made by Moynihan in the 1938 interview are most interesting and unusual. They give a good and very rare insight into Irish dancing style and teaching methods along with the favourite music tunes used for dancing in this early period, approximately 1860 to 1940. Other collections of written (annotated) solo steps, with which I am familiar, are devoid of such comments and or observations.

I am now very happy to have these typed notes preserved as “The Moynihan Dance Manuscript”, and that they be made available to others through the ITMA website.

John P. Cullinane, May 2024

The Cullinane Archive Collection is an extensive multimedia collection of material relating to the history of Irish dance compiled by Dr John Cullinane over his lifetime. In July 2021 Dr Cullinane donated his collection to CLRG. In an agreement reached between ITMA and CLRG this unique collection has been placed on deposit in ITMA where it will be preserved, organised and made available on behalf of CLRG. For information on accessing this collection please contact the ITMA archivist at [email protected]