- (As related to her grandchild, Mary McCluskey (then aged 11), of Corracrin NS, Emyvale, in a project for ‘Heritage Year’ 1990. Minnie McKenna died in 1993, aged 85 yrs.)
Period:- 1928-30, in an era when commercial dance halls, or indeed halls of any kind, were unknown and most travelling was done on foot – dancing was the social pastime. The dances were held at cross-roads or on a green grassy patch when the weather was kind. As time went on, having a ‘dancing deck’ in the locality was a ‘big thing’ in those days.
Musicians:- Sarah Murray, Corraclare, Emyvale (mother of Minnie McKenna), on melodeon, and ‘Baby’ Corrigan, Emy, on accordion; Malachy Corrigan, Emy, and Pat McQuaid (Roe), Killycooley, both on fiddle.
Time:- Dances were held each Sunday afternoon from 3pm to 5pm or 6pm, but definitely finished before ‘milking time’.
Location:- Beside the sluice in Emy (Emy Lough), near Patrick and Brighid McCluskey’s house. People came in very large numbers from Emyvale, Glaslough, Mullanmill, and further afield. If there had been a wedding in the area during that week, the bride and groom also made an appearance and this would be a very special occasion for the happy couple.
Who built the deck?:- Not certain, but the work was probably carried out by a ‘boon’ of men from the neighbourhood. The deck was a concrete structure, so therefore waltzes were not so popular. Many a man went home with scarcely a sole on his shoes from all the dancing on the cement floor. No refreshments were served – just plenty of good fresh air, lively dancing and good fun.
Dances:- Popular dances at the time were – the Fairy Reel, the Quadrille (otherwise known as the ‘Sets’), the Siege of Ennis, waltzes, flings, the Stack of Barley, Berlin Polka, Mazurka (a Polish dance), exhibitions of the ‘Pot Stick Dance’, the Walls of Limerick, the Clap Dance, the Lancers, the Charleston, the Jenny Lynn Polka, Waves of Tory, the Military Two-Step, and the ‘Rinnce Mor’. Usually the musicians would call out the next dance, and if the dancers were slow to take the floor, the music would stop and they were ordered to get out and dance. This rarely happened, however.
The Clap Dance:- The Clap Dance was more of a musical game than a dance. It was performed by two people who stood opposite each other. They started the dance by clapping their own knees with the palms of their hands. Then they struck their partner’s hands with their own hands, in patterned combinations and movements.
The Pot Stick Dance:- The dancer waved a stick, in time to the music, during the first strain of the tune, then passed the stick under his legs and arms and around his body while keeping time to the music. At the house parties in later years, one great performer of this particular dance was Bob Stewart, Corragh, and formerly of Emy, Emyvale. At the dances, good carriage and deportment were most important to the dancers.
Style of Dress:- The ladies came along in gay coloured modest dresses, with helmlines ending at and above the knee. The new ‘low-cut’ neckline made the odd appearance. Men wore waist-coats, stiff collars with studs, and sometimes mufflers.
Opposition?:- Some of these ‘dancing decks’ were ‘frowned upon’ by the clergymen of the period and were often condemned from the pulpit in church on a Sunday. Not all the lassies were allowed to attend the dances on the deck and it was not unusual for a mother and daughter both to be there, as mother was close-by to ‘keep guard’ on her daughter from the men-folk !!!.
