The Bob O' Dowally

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

1- 8 1s cast 2 places and turn 2H (2s+3s step up 1-2); 2s cast 2 places and turn 2H (3s+1s step up 5-6)
9-16 3s+1s+2s set and turn partners 2H; 3s cast to original places (1s+2s step up 15-16)
17-24 1s+3s circle 4H round to left (1s move down to meet 3s); 1s end in middle, between 2s, facing up, dance up and cast to 2nd place (2s step up 23-24)
25-32 2s+1s dance R&L. 213

(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)

Keith Rose's Crib Diagram

The Bob O' Dowally - Full Size And Key To Symbols

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Dance Information

The place-name Dowally itself is recorded as a small settlement in Perthshire, historically listed as a parish on the River Tay. It lies between Dunkeld and Pitlochry and has occasionally been recorded in historical sources under variant spellings such as Doually.

In Scottish usage, a 'bob' can mean a quick dance movement or a type of dance, (as well as other meanings such as a tassel, a bunch of grass, or a sudden light motion).

When a dance title pairs 'Bob' with a place-name, as in Bob Of Fettercairn, it usually indicates a dance associated with, or named after, that locality. By analogy, the title "The Bob O' Dowally" most likely follows the same pattern: a dance named for the district of Dowally, rather than a reference to a specific historical event or person.

Dowally (Gaelic: Dubhàilidh) was once a parish in Perthshire before being merged into Dunkeld and Dowally. The name is thought to derive from elements meaning 'black field' or 'dark meadow', although the exact origin is uncertain.

The Bob of Fettercairn, From Glen Collection Of Printed Music, Skye Collection of Reels and Strathspeys, Page 99, c. 1887

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