May Allen Dancers - the Trip to the Cottage

The May Allen Dancers, led on this occasion by Thomas Close, dance the Trip to the Cottage. "The Trip to the Cottage" is an old Figure Dance that was popular in northern counties, particularly Counties Armagh and Down. It was introduced into Ceili Dancing circles, by County Armagh dancing teacher Nan Quinn of Bessbrook at Feiseanna in 1934 along with two other Figure Dances, "the Sweets of May" and "the Three Tunes".
Dance Musicians are fiddle players Proinsias Ó Maonaigh, his daughter Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh from County Donegal, and Méabh O'Hare from Belfast, who play three jigs - the Trip to Cottage (the tune generally played with this Figure Dance), the Connacht Man's Rambles and the Mug of Brown Ale (also called Paddy in London). 1994