Casadh an t'Slabhra

also known as the

Canberra Crooked Chain

Written by Paul Carr with help from members of Set In Their Ways dancers. The set features a ladies chain where the women give right hands and turn 3/4 of a turn to meet their corner gent and turn left arm with him until the ladies are facing in for a second time. This is known as the "Crooked Chain" and features in the first two figures. The name Casadh an t'Slabhra was suggested by Father Michael O'Sullivan from Sydney.


Figure 1 - Jigs (120 bars)

(a) Intro (8 bars)
(b) Lead around in waist and shoulder hold all the way to place (8 bars)
(c) All ladies crooked chain: R hand in centre, 3/4 turn to face their
    corner gent, L arm hook turn 1 and 1/2 times around (8 bars)
    Repeat this movement three more times to get home (32 bars)
(d) All ladies christmas (8 bars)
(e) All swing your partner in waltz hold (8 bars)
(f) All gents repeat (c) - (e) (48 bars)
(g) All house (8 bars)
Figure 2 - Reels (168 bars)

(a) Intro (8 bars)
(b) Lead around in waist and shoulder hold all the way to place (8 bars)
(c) Top ladies crooked chain: R hand in centre, 3/4 turn to face their
    corner gent, L arm hook turn 1 and 1/2  times around. Side ladies turn
    their back on their partner and dance ACLW once around outside
    of the set to the opposite side of their own partner. Top gents dance
    ACLW once around outside of the set. Note: This all happens 
    simultaneously transforming the regular square set into sidelines
    consisting of the side gent with his partner on his L and a top lady
    on his R (8 bars)
(d) Trios advance and retire, twice (hands in front, L in L, R in R), 
    singles advance as trios retire, and retire as they advance (first 
    time only, stand when trios retire a second time) (8 bars)
(e) Top ladies (from side ladies position) crooked chain: R hand
    in centre, 3/4 turn to face their new corner gent, L arm hook turn
    1 and 1/2  times around. Side men turn their partners under their
    arms CLW four times, L hand in L, outside the set to return them
    to their R (normal position). Note: A normal square set is formed
    with the top gents and their opposite lady as partners and the side
    men with their own partner (8 bars)
(f) All couples advance and retire R hand in R twice (8 bars)
(g) Repeat (c) - (f) to get home (32 bars)
(h) All swing (8 bars)
(i) Repeat (c) - (h) with side ladies leading (72 bars)
(j) All house to finish (8 bars)






Figure 3 - Hornpipes (160 bars)

(a) Intro (8 bars)
(b) Body (stepping: in,2,3,stamp, out,2,3, house on) (16 bars)
(c) House (8 bars)
(d) Return chain (progression) face partner give R hand and pull 
    past by R shoulder (1 bar), give L to next and pull past L shoulder (1 bar), 
    R hand and double around the next person to face back the way
    you came from (2 bars), L and past (1 bar), R with partner and into
    place facing corner (1 bar), gents L hand with the corner lady turn 
    her under passing outside of the set into his partners position(2 bars). 
    Note: Stepping for the progression only is
    (heel,1,2,3,  heel,1,2,3, hop1, hop 2, hop 3 ,hop 4);repeat (8 bars)
(e) Repeat (body, house, return chain) three more times (96 bars)
(f) Body (16 bars)
(g) House (double last two bars) (8 bars)


A word document of the notes can be downloaded from