March is Irish month, so my letter G is for Ghillies. These are the soft, leather, laced up shoes worn by girls in Irish dancing. They are used for reels, light jigs, and slip jigs, while hard shoes are worn for hornpipes, treble jigs, treble reels and traditional set dances.
Ghillies (soft leather shoes)
Hard shoes
(this photo is from the web)
Irish ghillies are different from Scottish ghillies, in that they lace through loops, rather than through eyelets, and the toe openings come closer to the end of the toe than the Scottish version.
G is also for Garden of Daisies, which is the name of my blog. And most of you are thinking this:
But Garden of Daisies is also the name of an Irish traditional set dance. I am posting two videos, one with a band playing the Garden of Daisies music, and another with an irish dancer practicing this dance. There are lots of other set dances, with fun names like Blackbird, King of the Fairies, The Downfall of Paris and The Blue Eyed Rascal. I hope you have a chance to watch one of these dances live some day.
Don't miss the Irish Dance post from yesterday.
This was really interesting. Many of my middle school students take Irish dancing. As an Irish person, I wonder how I got to be an adult without seeing step dancing.
ReplyDeleteoooo. I am commenting before I go back and listen to the previous videos from yesterday. I missed out on blogging. I have Scotch Irish in my background....and I do love the brogues and the dances and the tartans and so on! What a neat post. I love daisies too, they are so beautiful in their simplicity, and pretty bright yellow. Enjoyed your G post as well as your F post from last week . Thank you for popping in to visit with me. Don't worry, I am struggling with tears all day today. :-) It's a part of the wading through this particular step. Loving all my bloggy sisters.
ReplyDeletehugs. Julie
Well I learned a lot here and enjoyed visiting! blessings,Kathleen
ReplyDeleteThat was such a neat post! I learned something new today! Thanks for sharing, and for stopping over at my G post!
ReplyDeletewhat a fun post or should i say g is for great!
ReplyDeletexo
Wow, I love Irish music and Irish dancing. I LOVED the hard shoe dance on your previous post. Is your daughter in the video?? Wow, they are really good.
ReplyDeletei did not know that there was a difference in the kind of shoes that they must wear of the Irish dancing...my new thing I learned today!
ReplyDeleteI so enjoy watching Irish dancing so I really liked the video. Thank you for sharing part of your heritage and for explaining the difference in the shoes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for teaching me something new about the letter "g" have a great day.
ReplyDeleteThank you for explaining about the difference in the Scottish and the Irish shoes. I loved both of these videos. I especially enjoyed watching the musicians in the first video...it's like they just all "fell in" to their part...harmony...love it! I know the music was slowed down for the dancer to learn the dance, but it still looked like she was moving rather quickly to still be learning.
ReplyDeleteAmazing! Thanks so much for sharing!
This was a very educational post for me. I never even heard of Gillies before not the Irish song your blog is named for. We frequent an Irish restaurant that often has live music...maybe I will ask them to play it sometime.
ReplyDeleteI have watched all of your video's and loved them! Two of my four daughters do the Irish dancing and it's fun to watch. It's becomming difficult to get them to do it anymore..and their children didn't learn..so it may die out of our family unless some of the grands take it up. But..out St. Patrick's partys are always there.
ReplyDeleteThey brought me lovely Irish lace from Irland when they went this last time. Also.. :) my million year old egg. Our crest is now with my daughter.
I miss hearing my husband speak with his Irish brogue. Miss it a lot.
Hugs and love...Oh...before I forget...I had to laugh at your comment about scissors! :) It's just something you gotta have..you know? :)
Mona
More Irish music would suit me beautifully? :) Just hinting...
...gee whiz! Please drop that extra "m" from becoming...ok? :)
ReplyDeleteOh how I want to go to Ireland! Love that music. I could at least learn a jig or two. It looks hard, but it also looks like great exercise! I enjoyed this post so much. Thank you. laurie
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of learning Irish dancing for a play I was in, years ago. It was so much fun! And then one night years later, a couple of fellow castmates and I were at a party and out of nowhere broke out our old choreography. Of course everyone thought we were crazy!
ReplyDeletethanks for the G post! I learned a lot, and enjoyed watching the Irish dancing!
ReplyDeleteOh!
ReplyDeleteMy!
What a G rand and G lorious G post!
I let your music play while I was reading and it just transported me.
Thank you so much for sharing all this fun information and the lovely dance steps!
A+
Very cool...two things I do like so, dancing and daisies...although I try not to dance in the daisies:-)
ReplyDeleteI'd have recognized the type of shoes, but I didn't know what to call them until reading this. Great videos!
ReplyDeleteDaisies are my favorite flower and I loved seeing the dance!! Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing about the shoes, I had no idea. I love to watch dancing.
ReplyDeleteLove your "G" post, and I learned something new today!
ReplyDeleteWishing you a lovely weekend,
Zuzu
I just loved your post and the music videos!! My Dad was Irish and I love the music so much! Thanks for following my blog, also. Hugs, Kerrie
ReplyDeleteHi! I'm glad you stopped by my blog today and commented on the strip quilt pillow. I do love those fabrics together. You have a "no-reply" for your commenting, so I decided to come by your blog and leave a note. My good friend's daughter has been Irish dancing since childhood and has done so well. She has naturally tight curly red hair and never needs a wig! We love to watch her dance. -- michele
ReplyDeleteI have always loved Irish Dance...my daughter does everything but..tap, ballet, modern, lyrical, jazz...I have always wanted her to try Irish Dance. Maybe one day. Thank you for visiting me the other day!
ReplyDeleteRegarding the no-reply, just e-mail me directly, and I'll tell you what to do -- first I have to remember! My e-mail is calicodaisy (at) gmail (dot) com. I won't be home until later tonight, so possibly by morning I'll have an answer. It's just a setting somewhere in your blog setup (I think). Anyway, it shows "no reply" when you comment, so the recipient of your comment can't just hit "reply" on e-mail and get to you. -- michele
ReplyDeleteOh, Irish dancing is so awesome! This is a lovely post, those shoes are just the neatest too! Cindy
ReplyDeleteI learned something new! I never knew the soft shoes were called Gillies.
ReplyDeleteLoved these videos also!
Became a new "follower" of your blog!
Great G post! I do love daisies :) .
ReplyDeleteI love learning Irish dance from you. Love the way "Garden of Daisies" works all through your blog. Thank you!
ReplyDeletehttp://adivashammer.com/archives/1228
ReplyDeletehello from the land of G
nice to meet you and wow...i am in awe for i do adore the dance!
played the vids over and over..hope you are counting! lol
so blessedly talented!
Is there a hint of Irish mania in the Garden of Daisies.
ReplyDeleteHave fun on St Patrick's day this month.
Thank you for your story and lovely comments about my Tree posting...I so look forward to your next entry for Alphabe-Thursday...Blessings...jeff
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for visiting the other day!
ReplyDeleteI'm working on a tutorial for daisies. Now that I saw the picture you posted, I know what I'm going to do. Thanks!
how fascinating! I have heard the name before, but would never have been able to associate it with the dancing shoes. Makes me remember back to seeing "Feet of Flames" and "River Dance". I love the music and the dancing!!
ReplyDeleteI totally enjoyed your post, very interesting and entertaining!
ReplyDeleteI love these letter themed posts of yours. I love how much I learn and how different things look on your side of the planet. Thanks forsharing. X
ReplyDeleteHow fun! I love Irish music (after all I am one-sixteenth Irish) and dancing. Who knew your blog name had two meanings? That is so sweet.
ReplyDeleteI'll be cooking some corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day. Do you have other suggestions for a traditional Irish meal? I hope so!
Well now I must have some ghillies! Never knew what they were called. When my kids were young, they used to beg me to 'do River Dance', then fall over laughing at me as I bounced around ;-). Maybe I just wasn't wearing the right shoes?
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
G
I had no idea what Ghillies were...now I know...I love daisy's too! Great G' post......Melinda
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