Welcome and thank you for visiting www.IrishSetDances.net, the internet home of musician and adjudicator Michael Fitzpatrick. Here you will find all of Michael's musical recordings, tailored to the needs of today's Irish dancer. This website is dedicated to Irish dance music and to Irish dancers of all skill levels, as well as their teachers and fellow adjudicators. If you love Irish dancing, the music you will find on this website is recorded just for you!
For 2009, I am pleased to announce the release of my third CD of Irish Dance music, The Whispering Door. This double CD features a wide range of musical selections for all categories of Irish dance. The tunes were selected from a variety of musical eras, with some dating from centuries past, others from present day feiseanna, and some I wrote specifically for this recording. The track categories reflect all of the metronomic requirements for today's feiseanna, from solo to ceili, from beginner to opens, all the way up to dance drama. There is also a waltz, a slow air, and even a tango for those a little bit more adventurous. My hope was to make a recording that would be ideal for dancing... simple, yet pleasant to listen to, with orchestrations that would make each track unique, yet appealing to every teacher, adjudicator and dancer of all levels. I hope I have achieved that goal.
My first and second CDs, The Official List (2001) and The Official List II (2002) are also available here. These recordings feature the original 30 Set Dances and the newer 8 Set Dances respectively, as approved for competitive dance competition by An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha, the worldwide governing body of Irish Dance. The Set Dances on these CDs are not for group dancers, but for individuals competing on the Open Championship level. There is also an insert included to help TCRG and ADCRG exam candidates remember their tunes as well as the time signatures and # of bars of each set dance. The metronome speeds presented are in accordance with the minimum speed guidelines set forth by An Coimisiún. And while not every dancer's favorite speed could ever be represented in any one recording, with the advent of digital technology, the speeds can be customized. After purchasing the CD with your dance, you may log on to www.ronimusic.com and try the software called ASD (Amazing Slow Downer). This program will allow you to slow down or speed up any tune your choice. All it takes is a simple calculation and in minutes, you can burn your own custom CD of your favorite dance at your exact speed.
Enjoy exploring the website... you are most welcome! I hope you will return often and that my offerings will bring you years of usefulness and pleasure.
Wishing you every dancing success,
Michael Fitzpatrick / ADCRG