Troyl
Encyclopedia
Troyl is a colloquial Cornish
word meaning a barn-dance or céilidh
, a social evening of dance, music and song..
used the noun troil in the 1880s to describe a Cornish
céilidh
in Newquay
. Robert Morton Nance
collected the noun troyl in the 1920s. He classified the word as a 'Cornish dialect survival', and knew the similar Welsh noun which has the same Brittonic root. "Troyll" appeared in Robert Morton Nance
's 1938 Cornish
English dictionary with the meanings - circuit, spiral, spin, turn and lathe. . Since the Cornish Dance Revival of the 1980s the noun Troyl has been consistently used to denote a Cornish
céilidh
.
in the late 19th century, Edward Veale related that 'A dance or ‘troil ... always terminated the pilchard season. This was a feast for those connected with the cellars, each cellar having its own troil. After the feast, which was given in the loft, games and dancing followed. These were kept up until the small hours of the morning, the music being provided by a fiddler.’ Such Troils were also noted by Sarah Teague Husband and Edgar Rees, writing of 19th century Newquay. Veale also remembered seeing the step dance, Lattapuch, in the Unity Fish Cellars, Newquay in the 1880s, and dancing the Lancers. It seems clear that social dancing, step dancing - sometimes competitive, music and song were involved. Such events occurred on the completion of a particularly successful catch and at the end of the pilchard season.
groups. The core repertoire has now been published in a book/tape/videotape package, and other DVDs and books are progressively becoming available.
A typical Troyl has a mixture of social (public dances), usually "called" to assist the less experienced. Most will be set dances, but as karoles were once found in Cornwall, and processional dances (furrys) survive to this day, so various rondes and farandoles are also danced. Between such items there will often be demonstration dances, music
, song, step-dancing, or storytelling (droll telling).
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
word meaning a barn-dance or céilidh
Céilidh
In modern usage, a céilidh or ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing. It originated in Ireland, but is now common throughout the Irish and Scottish diasporas...
, a social evening of dance, music and song..
Etymology
Edward Lluyd (1660?-1709) knew the Cornish verb troillia - to twist, twirl, whirl, spin round. Edward Veale of Pentire, NewquayNewquay
Newquay is a town, civil parish, seaside resort and fishing port in Cornwall, England. It is situated on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall approximately west of Bodmin and north of Truro....
used the noun troil in the 1880s to describe a Cornish
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
céilidh
Céilidh
In modern usage, a céilidh or ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing. It originated in Ireland, but is now common throughout the Irish and Scottish diasporas...
in Newquay
Newquay
Newquay is a town, civil parish, seaside resort and fishing port in Cornwall, England. It is situated on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall approximately west of Bodmin and north of Truro....
. Robert Morton Nance
Robert Morton Nance
Robert Morton Nance was a leading authority on the Cornish language, nautical archaeologist, and joint founder of the Old Cornwall Society....
collected the noun troyl in the 1920s. He classified the word as a 'Cornish dialect survival', and knew the similar Welsh noun which has the same Brittonic root. "Troyll" appeared in Robert Morton Nance
Robert Morton Nance
Robert Morton Nance was a leading authority on the Cornish language, nautical archaeologist, and joint founder of the Old Cornwall Society....
's 1938 Cornish
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
English dictionary with the meanings - circuit, spiral, spin, turn and lathe. . Since the Cornish Dance Revival of the 1980s the noun Troyl has been consistently used to denote a Cornish
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
céilidh
Céilidh
In modern usage, a céilidh or ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing. It originated in Ireland, but is now common throughout the Irish and Scottish diasporas...
.
19th century troyls
Speaking of social life associated with the fish cellars in NewquayNewquay
Newquay is a town, civil parish, seaside resort and fishing port in Cornwall, England. It is situated on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall approximately west of Bodmin and north of Truro....
in the late 19th century, Edward Veale related that 'A dance or ‘troil ... always terminated the pilchard season. This was a feast for those connected with the cellars, each cellar having its own troil. After the feast, which was given in the loft, games and dancing followed. These were kept up until the small hours of the morning, the music being provided by a fiddler.’ Such Troils were also noted by Sarah Teague Husband and Edgar Rees, writing of 19th century Newquay. Veale also remembered seeing the step dance, Lattapuch, in the Unity Fish Cellars, Newquay in the 1880s, and dancing the Lancers. It seems clear that social dancing, step dancing - sometimes competitive, music and song were involved. Such events occurred on the completion of a particularly successful catch and at the end of the pilchard season.
Troyls of the Cornish Dance Revival
Since 1980 Troyls have been staged with increasing frequency since the collection of a core repertoire of dances by Merv and Alison Davey, and the writing of numbers of modern folk dances in Cornish style by enthusiasts from several Cornish danceCornish dance
Cornish dance originates from Cornwall in the British Isles. It has largely been shaped by the Cornish people and the industries they worked in. In most cases, particularly with the step dancing, the dances were still being performed across the region when they were collected...
groups. The core repertoire has now been published in a book/tape/videotape package, and other DVDs and books are progressively becoming available.
A typical Troyl has a mixture of social (public dances), usually "called" to assist the less experienced. Most will be set dances, but as karoles were once found in Cornwall, and processional dances (furrys) survive to this day, so various rondes and farandoles are also danced. Between such items there will often be demonstration dances, music
Music of Cornwall
Cornwall has been historically Celtic, though Celtic-derived musical traditions had been moribund for some time before being revived during a late 20th century roots revival.-History:...
, song, step-dancing, or storytelling (droll telling).