Margaret Allen Of Cumbrae
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
MARGARET ALLEN OF CUMBRAE (R8x32) 4C Set Jimmie Hill1- 8 1s set, cross down RH to 2nd place opposite side; 1s cast down round 3s, meet and dance up to 2nd place opposite side facing out
9-16 1M+2L turn LH while 1L+2M turn RH, 1s dance down middle; 1s turn 3s with other and All set. 2(1)3
17-24 2s+1s+3s dance Grand Chain
25-32 1s dance ½ Figs 8 (1M up round 2s, 1L down round 3s); 2s+1s+3s turn partner RH. 213
(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)
Margaret Allen Of Cumbrae 32 bar reel for three couples in a four-couple set. Jimmie Hill, 2024
1 - 8 1st couple set and, giving right hands, cross down below 2nd couple, cast off round 3rd couple, and, nearer hands joined, dance up the middle to 2nd place, and face out on the opposite side. 2nd couple step up on bars 3 and 4.
9 - 16 1st man turns 2nd woman using left hand, while 1st woman turns 2nd man using right hand (2 bars). 1st couple, nearer hands joined, dance down the middle (2 bars). 1st man turns 3rd woman using left hand, while 1st woman turns 3rd man using right hand (2 bars). 1st couple finish in 2nd place opposite sides. All three couples, joining hands, set.
17 - 24 2nd, 1st and 3rd couples dance a grand chain.
25 - 32 1st man dances half a figure of eight up round 2nd couple while 1st woman dances half a figure of eight down round 3rd couple to finish in second place on own sides. 2nd, 1st and 3rd couples turn using right hand.
Repeat having passed a couple.
(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Jimmie Hill, December 2024)
Dance Notes
1. At the end of bar 8, 1st couple face out on the opposite side. They turn the 2nd couple using the hand they were holding when coming up the middle.2. 2nd and 3rd couples may use the setting step at the end of bar 16 to face up or down ready for the grand chain.
3. At the end of the grand chain 1st man completes the polite turn and faces up ready for the half figure of eight up round 2nd couple.
(Dance notes by the deviser, Jimmie Hill, December 2024)
Dance Instruction Videos
Margaret Allen Of Cumbrae - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
Jimmie Hill devised this dance to honour Margaret Allen's contributions to Scottish country dancing on the island where he grew up.Margaret Allen resides in Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae in the Firth of Clyde. A dedicated teacher, she has long been the driving force behind the Cumbrae Scottish Country Dancing Association, affiliated with the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society.
She also leads a weekly class in Largs on the mainland. In 2006, she established the Millport Weekend, which has since become a staple in the country dance calendar.
The tune for the dance, Lord Randolph's Bride, was arranged by Meryl Thomson.
Great Cumbrae is the larger of the two islands known as The Cumbraes, located in the lower Firth of Clyde in western Scotland.
Often referred to as Millport after its main town, the island measures approximately 4 kilometres (2½ miles) in length and 2 kilometres (1¼ miles) in width. Its highest point, The Glaid Stone, stands at 127 metres (417 feet) above sea level and features a large, naturally occurring rock at the summit.
Millport, the island's only town, curves around a bay that spans the entire south coast. Much of the land is owned by local farmers.
Several distinctive rock formations, including Crocodile Rock, Indian's Face, Lion Rock, and Queen Victoria's Face, have become popular tourist attractions, with some enhanced by colourful paint.

Crocodile Rock, Millport
Published in Margaret Allen Of Cumbrae, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Jimmie Hill.
This page contains both original content, which is copyrighted, and excerpts from Wikipedia and other sources using the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Text from this original Great Cumbrae article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright Raymond Okonski, Creative Commons Licence 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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