The Stack of Barley - An Staicín Eorna (Ireland)

The Stack of Barley

An Staicín Eorna

Ireland

These notes ©2016, Andrew Carnie. Taught widely in the US in the 1950s by Una Kennedy. It's a standard in the Ceilí dance movement around the country though.

Music:

• https://youtu.be/vOdBjyonUZ0
• https://youtu.be/q6nHrgyS5l0
• https://youtu.be/mz6VlV7pNAk
• Celtic CL101 78
• https://youtu.be/rykmHjVL2os
• https://youtu.be/AJo4Dq31JpM
• Imperial 1039A

Meter: Hornpipe (4/4)
Formation: Couples in a circle, M on the inside looking out. W on the outside looking in. Hold R hands with partner.
Introduction: depends upon recording, but typically 8 bars.

O = Outside = M's L, W's R
I = Inside = M's R, W's L

Bars 1-2: One "seven" in LOD, Step O in LOD (1),  Step on I behind O (2), Step on O to LOD (3), Step on I behind O (4), Step on O in LOD (5) Step on I behind O (6), Step on O in LOD (7), Hop on O, crossing over with partner so that the M is on the outside.
Bars 3-4: repeat bars 1-2 with opposite footwork, still traveling in LOD
Bars 5-6: repeat bars 1-2, Still traveling in LOD
Bars 7-8: repeat bars 3-4, but don't make 1/2 turn (M are on the outside)
Bar 9: Take L hand under R, moving into the center (W backing up), step O (1), I (2), O (3), hop on O
Bar 10: Step I (1), O (2), I (3), with a little tap or shuffle of the free foot. Hop on I (4)
Bars 11-12: repeat bars 9-10, backing out. on the final hop turn so that M is facing LOD.
Bar 13-16: Get into "Siamsa Beirte" hold (rolling R hand towards him and under joined L hands, elbows out to the side, do 4 polka steps, turning CW but moving forward in LOD (CCW).

Other Notes on the web

• http://www.folkdance.com/LDNotations/StackofBarley1951LD.PDF
• https://danceminder.com/dance/show/stacba
• http://www.panix.com/~czslha/DanceSchedules/CeiliNotes/Stack_of_Barley.pdf
• Page 10 of (1948) Stockton Folk Dance Camp
• Page 39 of (1951) Stockton Folk Dance Camp
• Page 51 of (1954) Stockton Folk Dance Camp
• Page 89 of (1957) Stockton Folk Dance Camp
• Page 37 of (1965) Stockton Folk Dance Camp
• Page 138 of (1972) Stockton Folk Dance Camp 

Bill and Karen Faust's Fayetteville Video

Other Videos on the web

Sheet Music

• https://thesession.org/tunes/2224
• http://www.irish-folk-songs.com/the-stack-of-barley-tin-whistle-and-banjo-sheet-music-notes.html
• http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0028185
• http://abcnotation.com/tunePage?a=www.oldmusicproject.com/AA2ABC/1201-1800/Abc-1601-1700/1627-LittleStackBarley/0000

Other Sources

• Casey, Betty (1981) International Folk Dancing USA. Doubleday and Company
• Melville, John (1985)  Main Folk Dance Camp Syllabus (PDF)
• Lidster, Miriam and Dorothy Tamurini (1965) Folk Dance Progressions. Wadsworth Publishing

Also spelled: Stacks, Staicin, Eornan (this is incorrect)