Nighean Donn
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
NIGHEAN DONN (R5x32) 5C set Peter Hastings 1988 Dunedin Dances Book 21- 8 2s and 4s dance ½ Figs of 8 round end couples to face 1st corners, set to corners and set to 2nd corners
9-16 2s and 4s dance diagonal reels of 4 with 2nd corners, 2s and 4s end passing partner RSh to opposite sides
17-24 All advance and retire, top 4 Men's side cross diagonally RH with bottom 4 Ladies' side, top 4 Ladies' side cross diagonal LH with bottom 4 Men's side
25-32 Top 4 Men's side cross diagonally RH with bottom 4 Ladies' side, top 4 on Ladies' side cross diagonally LH with bottom 4 on Men's side and end with couples (with new partners) in 2nd and 4th places turning RH 1½ times to own sides
Ladies' side 5L,3L,4L,1L,2L
Men's side 4M,5M,2M,3M,1M
Repeat with new partners
(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)
Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams
Dance Instruction Videos
Nighean Donn - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
The dance, then untitled, was first performed at the 21st birthday party of Gwendoline Margaret Watson. The title is in honour not only of Gwendy but of brown-haired lassies everywhere.Nighean Donn in Gaelic means "Brown-haired Girl" and is the subject at least two traditional Gaelic love songs "An Cluinn Thu Mi Mo Nighean Donn" and "Horo Mo Nighean Donn Bhòidheach".
| Gaelic Version | EnglishTranslation |
|---|---|
| Ho rò mo nighean donn bhòidheach | Horo my pretty brown-haired girl |
| Nan gorm-shùil meallach | With the enticing blue eyes |
| 'S truagh nach robh sinn còmhla | If only we could be together |
| Ged bhitheamaid falamh | Though we had nothing |
| O mo nighean donn bhòidheach | Oh my pretty brown-haired girl |
| Nan gorm-shùil meallach | With the enticing blue eyes |
| Gaelic Version | EnglishTranslation |
|---|---|
| An cluinn thu mi, mo nighean donn? | Will you listen to me, my brown-haired girl? |
| Dèan éisd is thoir an aire dhomh | Listen, and pay attention to me |
| Tha móran dhaoin' 's a' bharail seo | There are many people of this opinion |
| Gur òg an leannan domhs' thu | That you are too young a love for me |
In stricter modern Gaelic it should be "Nighean Dhonn". "Nighean Donn" is pronounced as "Nee~n Doun" in English, with stress on the first syllable of "Nighean"; "Nighean Dhonn" and would be "Nee~n Dhoun" where:
"ee" is as in "beet";
"~" represents the , vowel sound;
"ou" is as in "loud"; and
"dh" is as a more guttural form of ch in "loch".
See Gaelic Dance Names for more information on Gaelic spelling and pronunciation.
Nighean Donn Song - Information Video
Nighean Donn - Brown-haired Girl
LearnGaelic - Dictionary Translate Gaelic To English
Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Image copyright Nevit Dilmen.
Additional search terms: Brown Haired Girl.
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