Céim an Fháinne

Just trying to make sure that concentrating on solo dancing doesn't result in me neglecting the book-smarts bit of the TCRG exam. I revised music last night which was fine, so let's look at ceili and Ar Rince Foirne.

Céim an Fháinne is 'Rings', of course, and it's important to know which direction each ring travels in. Here's a list, crossing fingers I haven't missed anything out:

1 - Four Hand Reel
Rings only appears in the first figure of this dance, handily called 'Figure of Eight and Rings of Three'. The ring is performed twice. First time it goes right/left, second time it goes left/right. Repeated in the same way when opposites perform the figure.

2 - Sixteen Hand Reel
Called Hands Round in this dance, and appears in the body. Both times the ring travels left/right.

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3 - Haste to the Wedding
First ring right, second ring left. Each ring travels one way only.

4 - Siege of Carrick
Left/right

5 - Glencar Reel
Left/right

6 - Three Tunes
Called 'sides' in this dance as rings is something different entirely. Left/right/right/left.

7 - Trip to the Cottage
Again this appears in the body, and is performed left/right. The gent therefore, if you have the spare gent dancing, does two right feet - one to join the ring and one as part of the ring.

8 - An Rince Mor
No excuses for forgetting because it's in the title - Ring to Left and Right

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9 - Fairy Reel
Performed twice - first time right/left, second time left/right.

10 - Duke Reel
This is the opening movement and goes right/left.

11 - Lannigan's Ball
Left/right - and remember, this one is skipped not sidestepped.

12 - Cross Reel
In Figure of Eight and Ring, all sidestep right/left.

13 - Gates of Derry
Performed twice - first time right/left, second time left/right.

14 - Sweets of May
This is both the opening movement and a figure (plus the closing movement, too). As in Tunes, they go left/right/right/left.

15 - Bonfire Dance
Performed twice - first time right/left, second time left/right.

Here's a gratuitous picture of dancers in a ring:

Anti-clockwise is the same as sidestepping to the right.
Clockwise is the same as sidestepping to the left.

So, can I see any patterns here?

...not really.

Second book - all go left first except Haste.
Tunes and Sweets are the same, which should be easy to remember as they're both Antrim dances and have lots of other similarities.
Where it's performed twice, it always goes right/left and then left/right.

I suppose it's just a memorisation task as I can't think of any tricks!