Dance Seann Triubhas Willichan 5982

Also known as “Seann Truibhas Willichan” (spelling).

Strathspey · 32 bars · 2 couples · Longwise - 4

Devised by

Thomas (19C) Wilson

Intensity

80 88 80 88 = 75% (1 turn), 52% (whole dance)

Formations

Cast behind own lines and back (CBL&B)
Hands round - 4 (HR;4P;)

Steps

Strathspey setting, Strathspey travel

Published in

Book 27 [9]
Scottish Country Dances Books 25 to 30 (Combined A5 edition) [33]
Pocket: Books 25,26,27 [33]
Thirty Popular Scottish Country Dances [29]
Fifty Scottish Dances [49]
Scottish Country Dances in Diagrams. Ed. 9 [493] (diagram only)
Scottish Country Dances in Diagrams. Ed. 8 [655] (diagram only)
Scottish Country Dances in Diagrams. Ed. 7 [595] (diagram only)
Scottish Country Dances in Diagrams. Ed. 6 [572] (diagram only)

Online Sources

http://www.highlandmistdancers.org/HM3goldenoldies.html#seann

Recommended Music

My Dearie (James Johnstone)

Extra Info: The Gaelic title (pronounced approximately like “shorn troos WILLI-shan”) means “William’s Old Trousers”, which has a little less of a …

The Gaelic title (pronounced approximately like “shorn troos WILLI-shan”) means “William’s Old Trousers”, which has a little less of a Celtic ring to it.

The spelling of Truibhas/Triubhas has been inconsistent for many years. In this database the entry is now spelled “Triubhas”, with the “Truibhas” spelling as an official alias. The reasoning for this is that the “Truibhas” version in the 1974 edition of Book 27 was apparently a typo.

Asked about the spelling in November 2011 the RSCDS (Elspeth Gray) replied:

I ran your email past the Archivist, Marilyn Healy. She has consulted various sources, and her reply is as follows:

"The correct spelling of the word is ‘Triubhas’ which is what can be found in any decent Gaelic-English dictionary, including those readily available on-line. It was spelled “Truibhas” in the first edition of Book 27 in 1975 but since the book was reprinted (with minor revisions) in 1984 the RSCDS has spelled it consistently - and correctly - “Triubhas”. The pocket book Eric refers to was printed in 1976, although it does not have a date of print.

This has been discussed many times and I quote from a reply to a previous enquiry by Iain [sic!] Brockbank:

“I don’t claim to be a Gaelic expert, but IU fits the rules I learned - the vowels on either side of a consonant cluster have to match slender (IE) or broad (AOU). Tr__bhas has an ‘a’ after the bh, so needs a, o or u before it, leading to triubhas. This is probably the reason for the change. When it happened, I can’t say”.

The Highland Dance is consistently spelled ‘Truibhas’ - the other way - and I can only assume that this is yet another case where the name was taken from a source before the 20th Century urge to standardise Gaelic orthography."

To this statement from Elspeth, Anselm adds: “Note, though, that Highland Dancing, the official textbook of the SOBHD, spells the highland dance ›Triubhas‹, and has done so since the first edition of 1955.”

Seann Triubhas Willichan

[Editorial note: In Jeannie Sharp’s original manuscript the name of this section is spelled “Truibhas”, not “Triubhas”. There is widespread consensus among our Gaelic-speaking correspondents that “Triubhas” is in fact correct, as per (modern) standardised Gaelic spelling rules, and we have thus taken the liberty to correct this section accordingly. –A.]

In his Illustrations of the Lyric Poetry and Music of Scotland, under the heading “This Is No My Ain House”, William Stenhouse has provided the following information on “Seann Triubhas Willichan”. “There is a set of the tune of ‘Deil stick the Minister,’ inserted in Fraser’s Gaelic airs, under the title of ‘Sean Truid’s Uillachan,’ printed in 1816, and the editor, in a note, informs us, that the tune ‘is the modelling of Mr Campbell of Budyet, and other Nairnshire gentlemen, formerly mentioned. The air is of considerable antiquity, but it was formed by them into this standard.’ Of course we must believe it to be of Gaelic extraction; but the Gaelic title will not do: It is evidently a barbarous translation of Willie’s Shantrews. The word Shan, is a common Scottish adjective, signifying poor or shabby, and shantrews, in the same dialect, literally means shabby or poor-looking trowsers, a name by which the tune has been known in common, with its still more objectionable title, at all our dancing-schools for many generations.

'Of Umquihile John to lie or bann,
Shaws but ill will and looks right shan.
Ye’re never rugget shan nor kittle,
But blythe and gabby.’ – Ramsay’s Poems”

Robert Burns, commenting upon the old song “This is no mine ain House”, stated that the tune to which the verses were set was “an old Highland air, called *Shuan trusih willighan.”

The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society set the dance to the strathspey called “My Dearie”.

From “Scotland Dances”, by Eugenia (Jeannie) Callander Sharp (Used by permission.)

“Name” column: normal = designated recording, greyed-out = designated but not official lead tune, italic = possible match found in DB (watch number of repeats!)

Name	Artist	Album	Media	Trk	Type	Time	Pace
Seann Triubhas Willichan	Terpsichore	Terpsichore, Scottish Dance Music	CD+	5	S32 8	8:15	61.9
Seann Triubhas Willichan	Olympians Scottish Dance Band	Scottish Dance Favourites Volume 2	CD	3	S32 4	4:30	67.5
Seann Triubhas Willichan	Olympians Scottish Dance Band	Book 27. Music for Twelve Traditional Dances	LP+	9	S32 4	4:30	67.5
Seann Truibhas Willichan	Rob Gordon and his Band	Caledonian Ball, The - Vol 4	LP	4	S32 4	4:28	67.0
Seann Truibhas Willichan	Rob Gordon and his Band	Country Dance, Ceilidh Dance	CD	4	S32 4	4:28	67.0
Seann Triubhas Willichan	Charlie Jemmett and His Band	Dancer's Choice	LP	3	S32 8	0:00	0.0
Seann Triubhas Willichan	Bobby Brown and The Scottish Accent	Music for Scottish Country Dancing	LP	3	S32 6	6:45	67.5
Seann Triubhas Willichan	Olympians Scottish Dance Band	Music for Fifteen Dances	MC	6	S32 8	8:15	61.9
Seann Truibhas Willichan	The Scotsmen	Two More Couples Please	LP	8	S32 8	0:00	0.0
Seann Truibhas Willichan	Bobby Brown and The Scottish Accent	Celtic Fire in the Music	CD	8	S32 6	6:15	62.5
Seann Truibhas Willichan	Frank Thomson and his Scottish Dance Band	Book 27. Music for Twelve Scottish Country Dances	CD	9	S32 8	8:37	64.6
Seann Truibhas Willichan	Jim Lindsay and his Band	Reel of the Puffins	CD	9	S32 8	8:09	61.1
Seann Triubhas Willichan	Muriel A Johnstone	Preliminary Test	MC	12	S32 4	0:00	0.0

Seann Triubhas Willichan 2/4L · S32

1–: 1c cast off behind own lines and cast back
9–: 1W+2M set and change places RH while{4} 1M+2W change places RH and set ; repeat
17–: 1c lead down the middle | turn RH ; lead up and cast off to 2pl (2c up)
25–: 2c+1c set | turn BH ; open into circle4 L.

E-cribs

Seann Triubhas Willichan 2/4L · S32

1-8: 1s cast & dance down behind own lines, turn outwards & dance back to top
9-16: 1L+2M set & change places RH while 1M+2L change places RH & set; repeat
17-24: 1s lead down for 2 steps, turn RH, lead up to top & cast to 2nd place
25-32: 2s+1s set & turn partner 2H opening out to circle 4H round to left

MiniCribs

Keith Rose's Diagrams

SCDDB Contributed Cribs & Diagrams

Combined View

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