Erskine Nicol (1825-1904): ‘The 16th, 17th (Saint Patrick’s Day) and 18th March’ (1856)
St. Patrick's Day
Mar 17
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
St. Patrick's Day
Theme CollectionSt. Patrick's Day
The Shamrock GirlSt. Patrick's Day
St Patrick's Day JigToday's Musings, History & Folklore
"If you can say ‘carrots and cabbages, carrots and cabbages’ in time to the music it's a jig. If you can say ‘double decker, double decker’ in time to the music it’s a reel."
~ Helpful hints
Today, the jig dance and musical form is most associated with Irish dance music, Scottish Country Dance and the Métis people in Canada. Jigs were originally in duple compound meter, (e.g., 12/8 time), but have been adapted to a variety of time signatures, by which they are often classified into groups, including light jigs, slip jigs, single jigs, double jigs, and treble jigs!
St Patrick's Day Jig
Happy Saint Patrick's Day! For a more complete listing of dances suitable for St. Patrick's Day, visit the St. Patrick's Day Theme Page.
The jig developed in 16th-century England and was quickly adopted on the Continent where it eventually became the final movement of the mature Baroque dance suite (French gigue; Italian and Spanish giga).
Today the jig is most associated with Irish dance music and Scottish Country dance, amongst others. Jigs were originally in duple compound meter, (e.g., 12/8 time), but have been adapted to a variety of time signatures, by which they are often classified into groups, including light jigs, slip jigs, single jigs, double jigs, and treble jigs!
As Irish people emigrated all over the world, they took their cultural traditions with them. Sean-nós (old style Irish step dancing) has influenced various other forms of traditional solo dance, especially those found in areas with strong Irish communities.
Sean-nós dance likely influenced the development of many American and Canadian traditional percussive dance forms, such as buck dancing, flatfooting, clogging, and tap dancing.
To see the Scottish version of an Irish jig, complete with the brandishing of the shillelagh, click the dancers.
