HOUSE DANCES IN AND AROUND KILFENORA

A key aim of this project was to speak with older generations from Kilfenora about their memories of house dances and musical gatherings in the area.

In an interview I did with my grandfather, Jimmy O’Donoghue (born 1929), in March 2025, he recalled that house dances were more common in his twenties than they had been earlier. This may reflect a softening in the enforcement of the Dance Halls Act of 1935. The Act was part of the Irish government’s 1930s effort to promote a national culture aligned with conservative Catholic values.

However, it’s also possible that the Act never had much influence in rural North Clare, where music and dancing were already deeply embedded in everyday life among families and neighbours. Jimmy remembered that house dances were more likely to take place during the winter months, when people were less busy with farming.

Jimmy remembered that house dances were more likely to take place during the winter months, when people were less busy with farming. He said:

“There used to be great house dances in Hegarty’s. Where JJ was. They used to come from far and wide there.”

Although JJ Hegarty didn’t play music himself, his house was known as a welcoming place. It was located in Tullagha, right beside Clogher — home to the Lynchs, Wards and others, many of whom were musicians.

Pappy O’Looney, in an interview he did with Clare FM, talked about how furniture would be cleared out of houses to make space for dancing. Many homes could only fit a half set.

Another important tradition was the Mummers—an old custom involving people dressing up and going from house to house, collecting money either for a cause or for themselves. In North Clare, this was especially popular during Jimmy’s youth. The Mummers take place on St Stephen’s Day, the 26th of December. Jimmy remembered it as a major tradition when he was young, and he danced in it most years. He told me that they used to travel from house to house on foot, and later by car or van. The group would split in two, with up to 30 people visiting different parts of the parish—full sets of dancers and musicians included. This tradition continues to this day in the area.