'I never saw a more beautiful scene... attended by great crowding and confusion'

So writes the Duke of Dorset of both the splendour and chaos at a ball at Dublin Castle during the commemoration of the King's Coronation in October 1731. In eighteenth-century Ireland Dublin Castle was not only the centre of political power but also the epicentre of the strategic social round which both contained and entertained the Irish beau-monde within a harsh environment of inequality and social division. 

Amidst the pomp, ceremony, civic and legislative business which comprised the Viceregal court was a need for constant hospitality and entertaining. These activities were so numerous they sometimes spilled out of the castle into the city. But how well did these activities achieve their aim and how efficiently did the various Lords Lieutenants, Viceroys and Vicereines discharge their responsibilities in this area? 

This paper investigates the opportunities for dance within the context of the eighteenth-century Viceregal court and how they were affected by condition, policy, scandal and attitudes during each term of office.