A mutual interest in the humble art of straw craft led to last week's visit to Fermanagh by the Bristol Morris Dancers, all 15 of them, and a reception in the Townhall hosted by the vice chairman of Fermanagh District Council, Brian McCaffrey.
Among other guests was Jim Ledwith, the Cultural Co-ordinator for the Mummers Foundation whose Fermanagh headquarters is at Aughakillymaude . He explained to the 'Herald' that contact with the Morris Dancers was made through the Strawcraft Guild of which Anthony Gay, the leader of the dancers is a leading proponent.
Councillor McCaffrey welcomed the troupe on this, their first visit as a group to the county, and thanked Mr Gay for making the arrangements. He noted that their visit was but one of several partnerships between Aughakillymaude and parts of the UK as a result of which, he said, many lasting friendships had been forged. He had no doubt that the Bristol link would have the same outcome.
"I know that you have already performed in St Ninnidh's Primary School (Derrylin), and I am glad that the public will get an opportunity to see you perform at the Diamond after this. I know your visit is a short one, but I would recommend to you our beautiful landscape and tourist sights, such as the Marble Arch Caves."
Mr McCaffrey then presented Mr Gay with a Belleek Plate and, in turn, he received a cope of the seal issued to the Bristol Mummers in 1373.
But, as one of the dancers, Phil Butler told the 'Herald', it was his second visit to Fermanagh, having been here before to ring the bells in St Macartin's Cathedral.
Now 58, he reckons his dancing days are numbered, so he is one of the handful of musicians who accompany the Morris Dancers in their routine, playing pipe and tabor (drum). But, having clocked 30-plus years as a dancer, he was well placed to explain his interest.
"My father used to be a Morris Dancer and, when I was young, he forced me to do it, and I hated every minute. Why? Because I was very shy, so I gave up in ti as quickly as I could but, when I got older, I saw them doing it and I wanted to join in.
"The benefits I'd see are you get to go to interesting places, see interesting things and meet interesting people. For instance, we've been to Denmark, Sweden, France, Sardinia and Ireland".
He was one of two musicians who travelled with the Bristol group. Was 15 the normal size?
"It depends on the event," Phil explained. "Quite often we have a group of 18 dancers and half a dozen musicians. We probably keep about 30 dancers on our books. Over the last two or three years, we have lost quite a few young members because they had to go off to university. As against that, we gained two who came to
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study in Bristol, so it balances out.
"That's one of the most important things, to recruit young members. If you have a mix of ages within the group, then you will attract people of different ages. That's one of the things we're conscious of."
Phil has been dancing since he was and he explained that quite a few of the group were in the 40-50 age bracket, hence the need to keep the average age right, 'otherwise the thing will die out').
His colleague musician, Nigel (he plays the melodeon and Anglo concertina) dances as well and, sometimes, he does the two together. It was through Morris Dancing he met his wife, he taught her the dances and she went on to start the first ladies Morris dancing team in Bristol.
Each dance they do as part of their routine lasts 3 or 4 minutes. By the time the troupe made it to the Townhall last Friday afternoon, they had done six dances. On average, they do 50 in a day but on May Day that rises to over 100 dances.
Their visit to St Ninnidh's Primary School, according to Jim Ledwith, was a bit hit: "The thing about the kids there is they're used to this tradition as part of their world. In fact, they took part in the 'stick dance'. The entire school assembly were present."
The Morris Dancers dress, or 'kit' as they call it, is distinctive to say the least. These are tallish men and, when peacock feathers are added to their head-dress, they look even taller. Phil explained that the principle behind their costume is more to do with colour and decoration.
"Originally, we would have worn military kits but, today, it's a jacket, britches and baldrick, what would be called 'a sash' over here. The bells that are tied to our legs form part of the kit. They're associated with driving away evil spirits, and the whole costume is a celebration of the coming of Summer."
