Ancient MacDonalds

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

Ancient MacDonalds S160 Square set (4 couples) Fiona MacDonald Dedicated Dancing, 2000

1 - 8 All Ls Set advancing, circle halfway to Left, pull RSh back to set to opposite M and ¾ turn RH
9 - 16 Chain half way (RH to 'opp partner') and back (1 step per hand)
17 - 20 1s and 3s zig-zag set advancing (in tandem) across set
21 - 24 2s and 4s zig-zag set advancing (in tandem) across set
25 - 32 All Glasgow Highlanders' set to partner and TB twice
33 - 40 All set to corners M (only) cast, dance clockwise to opposite sides, turn partner RH
40 - 48 Chain halfway (RH to partner) and back (1 step per hand)
49 - 56 1s and 3s zig-zag set advancing (in tandem) across set 2s and 4s zig-zag set advancing (in tandem) across set
57 - 64 All Glasgow Highlanders' set to partner and turn both hands twice
65 - 68 1s and 3s (promenade hold) pass LSh and return to place
69 - 72 Still in promenade hold Set to L's corner and her partner, pass LSh to change places
73 - 76 2s and 4s (promenade hold) pass LSh and return to place
77 - 80 All TR double (ie turn RH then turn L again under M's R arm)
81 - 88 All set advancing, Set in Circle, pull RSh back and dance out (turning about) and dance on clockwise 1 place, Set facing in to set
89 - 96 All Circle to left and back
97 - 160 Repeat bars 1 - 64

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser Fiona MacDonald)

Dance Information

This strathspey, Ancient MacDonalds, was devised for all the MacDonalds - Ancient - or just heading that way!

(Dance information from Dedicated Dancing, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Fiona MacDonald)

Until bespoke music for this dance becomes available, any 5x32bar strathspey set is suitable.

MacDonald, Macdonald, and McDonald are surnames of Scottish Origin. In the Scottish Gaelic and Irish languages they are patronymic, referring to an ancestor with given name Donald.

In the context of Scottish clans, the various forms of the name refer to one of the largest clans, Clan Donald.

Mc is an abbreviation for Mac, which is a Gaelic term meaning "son of". So the name McDonald means "son of Donald", and since Donald is a proper name, it is normally capitalized, even when combined with Mc or Mac.

Published in Dedicated Dancing Collection, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Fiona MacDonald.
Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Macdonald article on Wikipedia.

Back to the top of this Scottish Country Dancing Instructions 'Ancient MacDonalds' page