Damhsóir... The Blog

Some website changes....

2010-03-09T18:46:00.002-05:00

Well folks... I had hoped to keep this full site up and running, but my webhosting service is going kaput, so we're going to have to make some changes to our format. We'll be blog-based from now on. But I will work to convert the majority of the material over to the blog while looking for other hosting options.

The Webmaster

Photos from the Os

2009-12-30T20:59:00.002-05:00

Here are some links to photos from the various 2009 Os Awards Ceremonies

Southern Region - Four Hands ~ 8 Hands

Mid-Atlantic Region - Four Hands ~ Ladies 8 ~ Mixed 8

Mid American Region - 8 Hand Ceili (Images 806 and 807)

Western Region - 8 Hands (starting at Image 372)

If you know of other galleries out there, leave a comment and let us know!

Southern Region Oireachtas Results

2009-12-30T20:55:00.002-05:00

Ladies 8 Hand
1 Shandon Irish Dancers
2 Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance

Mixed 8 Hand
1 Shandon Irish Dancers

Ladies 4 Hand (8 teams)
1 Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance
2 McCafferty School of Irish Dance, AR
3 Shandon Irish Dancers
4 Shandon Irish Dancers

Mixed 4 Hand
1 Hill Irish Dance School
2 McTeggart, San Antonio
3 Shandon Irish Dancers
4 Aoibhneas an RinceDal, 44 A (Shandon Irish Dancers Dallas, TX)

Mid Atlantic Region Oireachtas Results

2009-11-29T20:48:00.002-05:00

Results for Comp#48 - Adult Ladies 8 hand

Entry Name School Place
1 Team A O'Rourke Academy : New York
2 Team B Niall O'Leary : New York
3 Team A Crossroads : Pennsylvania
4 Team A Coyle : Pennsylvania
5 Team A McElligott : Pennsylvania
6 Team A Niall O'Leary : New York

Results for Comp#49 - Adult Mixed 8 hand

Entry Name School Place
1 Team A O'Rourke Academy : New York
2 Team A Coyle : Pennsylvania
3 Team A Niall O'Leary : New York
4 Team A Crossroads : Pennsylvania
5 Team B Niall O'Leary : New York

Results for Comp#50 - Adult Ladies 4 hand

Entry Name School Place
1 Team A O'Rourke Academy : New York
2 Team A O'Malley Academy : New York
3 Team A Hooley : Pennsylvania
4 Team A Coyle : Pennsylvania
5 Team A Farrell School : New York
6 Team A Boland : New York
7 Team B O'Rourke Academy : New York
8 Team B Crossroads : Pennsylvania
9 Team A Crossroads : Pennsylvania

Results for Comp#51 - Adult Mixed 4 hand

Entry Name School Place
1 Team A O'Rourke Academy : New York
2 Team A Crossroads : Pennsylvania
3 Team B Young : New York
4 Team A Young : New York
5T Team B Niall O'Leary : New York
5T Team A Niall O'Leary : New York

Designed and hosted by Nemit Solutions Ltd © feisresults.com 2009

Mid American Region Oireachtas Results

2009-11-29T20:46:00.001-05:00

8 Hands

1. Celtic
2. Glencastle
3. Richens/Timm

New England Region Oireachtas Results

2009-11-29T20:45:00.001-05:00

Ladies 4 hands

1. Harney
2. Bremer
3. O'Dwyer
4. Harney

Ladies 8 hand

1. Harney
2. Bremer
3. O'Dwyer.

Mixed 4 hand

1. O'Dwyer
2. Golden Harp
3. Harney M

Western Region Oireachtas Results

2009-11-29T20:38:00.001-05:00

Competition 45 - Oireachtas, Ceili Dance (8 Hand)
5 competitors in this competition

1 Murphy-Comerford School
2 Bennett School
3 Crawford School

Competition 46 - Oireachtas, Ceili Dance (8 Hand)
2 competitors in this competition

1 Cleary Irish Dance
2 Bennett School

Eastern Canadian Oireachtas Results

2009-11-29T20:36:00.000-05:00

Four Hand
1 Corrigan
2 Gilchrist Canavan
3 DeMenzes-Webster
4 Goggin-Carroll
5 Gilchrist Canavan

8 hand
1 Gilchrist Canavan

Western Canadian Oireachtas Results

2009-11-29T20:31:00.001-05:00

Competition 52 - Oireachtas, Ceili Dance, Ladies

1 Scoil Rince Clannad

***

Competition 53 - Oireachtas, Ceili Dance, Mixed

1 Scoil Rince Clannad

***

Competition 54 - Oireachtas, 4 Hand Ceili

1 Scoil Rince Clannad
2 Scoil Rince Clannad
3 Scoil Rince Clannad
4 McLeary School of Irish Dance

We're updating the site....

2009-11-29T18:26:00.001-05:00

...so please pardon the construction "mess" for a while.

Hoping to have things sorted out by the end of the year, in a new format that makes it easier to keep Damhsóir just a little easier to keep more current.

2009 North American Irish Dance Championship Results

2009-07-08T08:23:00.002-04:00

2009 Mixed Ceili champions Scoil Rince Clannad from Canada. Photo courtesy of Shamrock Photo.

Congratulations to the 2009 Mixed Ceili champions, Scoil Rince Clannad. Full results are:

1 Scoil Rince Clannad
2 Glencastle Irish Dancers
3 O'Rourke Academy of Irish Dance

2009 Ladies Ceili champions the Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance from Maryland. Photo courtesy of Shamrock Photo.

Congratulations to the 2009 Ladies Ceili champions, the Culkin School. Full results are:

1 Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance
2 Celtic Academy of Irish Dance
3 Victoria School of Irish Dance

Congratulations to the Southern Region Oireachtas Winners

2008-12-08T12:45:00.000-05:00

Ladies 8 -
1. Culkin A
2. Culkin B

Mixed 4 -
1. Aoibhneas an Rince
2. Culkin
3. Mulligan

Ladies 4 -
1. Culkin A
2. Hogan
3. Aoibhneas an Rince
4. Shandon
5. Culkin B
6. O'Neill James
7T. Mulligan and Rhythm of Ireland

Congratulations to the Mid-American and Mid-Atlantic Teams

2008-12-03T15:01:00.003-05:00

Over Thanksgiving Weekend, dancers in the Mid-American and Mid-Atlantic Regions competed in their regional Oireactaisi.

Mid-American Region

Adult 8-hand

1. Celtic Academy
2. Glencastle
3. Murphy Irish Arts
4. Richens/Timm

Mid-Atlantic Region

Adult Ladies 8 Hand
1. O'Rourke
2. Rince na Tiarna
3. O'Leary

Adult Mixed 8 Hand
1. Crossroads
2. Coyle
3. O'Rourke
4. Farrell

Adult Ladies 4 hand
1. Rince na Tiarna
2. O'Rourke
3. O'Rourke
4. Coyle
5. Johnston
6. O'Leary
7. O'Leary

Adult Mixed 4 hand
1. Crossroads
2. Crossroads
3. O'Rourke
4. Kennedy

Congratulations to the Western Region and New England Region Adult Teams

2008-11-23T19:46:00.006-05:00

Congrats to the teams who competed in the Western Region Oireachtas:

Oireachtas, Ceili Dance, Ladies
1 Bracken School
2 Maguire Academy of Irish Dance

Oireachtas, Ceili Dance, Mixed
1 Cleary Irish Dance
2 An Daire Academy)
3 Maguire Academy of Irish Dance

And congratulations to those teams who competed in the New England Region Oireachtas:

Eight Hand
1st - Bremer School
2nd - Clifden
3rd - Harney Academy

Four Hands
1st - Harney Academy
2nd - Clifden
3rd - Bremer School

Congratulations to the Western and Eastern Canadian Adult Teams

2008-11-09T20:38:00.003-05:00

Oireachtas season is underway and the first round of results are in.

In the Western Canadian region, congratulations to regional champions, the Victoria School of Irish Dance in the Ladies Ceili competition.

In the Eastern Canadian region, the results were:

Adult Ceili - 4 Hand

1st - Finnegan School A
2nd - Gilchrist-Canavan
3rd - Tir na Nog
4th - Gilchirst-Canavan B
5th - Finnegan School B

Adult Ceili - 8 hand

1st - Finnegan School A
2nd - Gilchrist-Canavan A

Congratulations to the Finnegan School for their wins.

Site Updates

2008-04-20T21:42:00.002-04:00

A couple of site updates to share with folks....

We've added a new product line - Shamrock Dancer - to the Shop Irish Dance store on CafePress. Check it out.

And the Feis Guide has been updated by month. With so many competitions to keep track of each year, we've grouped them by month for easier tracking.

If you have feis reviews for the site, be sure to email them to us! We'd love to post them.

Site Updates Coming Soon

2008-02-28T23:04:00.003-05:00

Okay, so we're behind on updating the feis list... but it takes a lot of time to check all those different syllabi. It also take input from our readers on what competitions are good for adults to attend.

If you have a feis review, please consider emailing it to us for posting. And remember, many of the weblinks are still active to the feis websites... so be adventurous and check them out!

Congratulations!

2008-02-16T23:03:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to the All Irelands Ceili Club competitors and winners.

8 Hand:

1. Faragher, Leitrim, Ireland
2. O'Rourke, New York, USA
3. Deegan, London, England

4 Hand:

1. Faragher, Leitrim, Ireland

Pictures and some commentary are available on the All Irelands website.

New Photo Art on Shop Irish Dance

2008-02-09T18:19:00.000-05:00

We've been busy with our camera here at Damhsóir.com and have some new items in the Shop Irish Dance store to show for it.

Just in time for 2008 - okay, a month and a half late - a new Irish dance calendar, as well as three new photo sets: "Worn Ghillies," "Jig Shoe," and "Pile o' Fun" (shown to the right).

Visit our gallery here to see for yourself.

How 'bout a t-shirt?

2007-12-30T09:25:00.001-05:00

Those of us here at Damhsóir.com are thinking of designing a couple of t-shirts specifically for the adult ceili teams crowd -- one for all the 2007 champs and one for those heading to the 2008 North American championships.

You can see some of our other designs at http://www.cafepress.com/shopirishdance

Would there be interest in this from folks? We think it would be really neat to have all (or a lot of) the adults dancing at NAIDCs show up with the same t-shirts!

Let us know what you think.... Head over to the Damhsóir Forum and join the conversation.

(Full disclosure: the proceeds from the Shop Irish Dance store go to pay for this website)

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-25T20:57:00.003-05:00

Happy holidays to all of you from Damhsóir.com and best wishes you all for a Happy New Year and a feis-tastic 2008!

Oireachtas Pictures... Where do I find them?

2007-12-04T09:05:00.000-05:00

Now that Oireachtas season is over, all we have left are the memories... and the photos!

Here's how to find photos from the adult competitions throughout the 7 North American regions:

Mid American Region ~ Direct Link to Gallery - Photos Courtesy of Photography by Harrington
Western Canada Region ~ Direct Link to Competition Gallery ~ Direct Link to Awards Gallery - Photos Courtesy of Aztec Stills and Photography

The following regions photos are courtesy of Universal Event Photo. The same directions work for all regions -- we've identified the pages on which the adult pictures begin:

Go to http://www.universaleventphoto.com/
Select "View Your Images"
Select "Irish Dancing"
Select a region
Select the "Submit" button -- no need to put anything in the box

Here's the specific info for the regions:

Mid Atlantic Region ~ Choose "Friday Night Awards Adult Ceilis" on the 1st page
New England Region ~ Choose "Sunday Night Awards Adult Ceilis" on the 3rd page
Western Region ~ Choose "Saturday Night Awards Adult Ladies" or "Saturday Night Awards Adult Mixed" on the 2nd page
Eastern Canada Region ~ Choose "Saturday Night Awards Adult Ladies 4 Hand" on the 1st page or "Saturday Night Awards Adult Ladies 8 Hand" on the 2nd page
Southern Region photos will also be available via Universal Event Photo but are not yet posted!

Southern Region Oireachtas Results

2007-12-03T00:25:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the Southern Region Oireachtas teams....

Ladies 4 - 12 teams danced (all Reels), 6 teams placed

1. Culkin A
2. Damhsa Onorach
3. Hogan
4. Culkin C
5. Culkin B
6. Culkin D

Mixed 4 - 5 teams danced, 3 placed

1. Aoibhneas an Rince (Humors)
2. Culkin (Reel)
3. Drake (Reel)

Ladies 8 - 3 teams danced

1. Culkin A (Cross Reel)
2. Culkin B (High Cauled Cap)
3. Drake (St. Patrick's Day)

Mixed 8 - 1 team danced

1. Shandon

Mid American Region Oireachtas Results

2007-11-25T11:22:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the Mid American Region Adult Ceili teams. Results courtesy of oireachtas.com

1 Glencastle
2 Celtic Academy - B
3 Celtic Academy - C
4 Celtic Academy - A

Mid Atlantic Region Oireachtas Results

2007-11-24T16:48:00.000-05:00

Congrats to all the team who competed! Results courtesy of the Adult Irish Dance Message Board and will be updated as official results become available:

Ladies 8 - 6 teams danced, 3 placed
1st- O'Rourke
2nd- O'Leary
3rd- Crossroads

Mixed 8 - 2 teams danced, 2 placed
1st- Crossroads
2nd- O'Rourke

Mixed 4 - 7 teams danced, 4 placed
1st- O'Rourke
2nd- Crossroads
3rd- Young
4th- Kennedy

Ladies 4 - 17 teams danced, 9 placed
1st- O'Rourke
2nd- O'Rourke
3rd- Young
4th- O'Leary
5th- O'Leary
6th- Johnston
7th- O'Leary
8th- Boland
9th- Crossroads

New England Region Oireachtas Results

2007-11-19T09:42:00.000-05:00

From the New England Region Message Board: (Official results to be posted when available from the region.)

Ladies 8-hand
1st place - Bremer
2nd place - Clifden

Ladies 4-hand
1st place - Clifden
2nd place - Clifden
3rd place - Bremer
4th place - Bremer

Mixed 8-hand
1st place - O'Dwyer

Mixed 4-hand
1st - O'Dwyer
2nd - Golden Harp
3rd - Golden Harp

Congratulations to all the teams and adult dancers!

Western Region Oireachtas Results

2007-11-18T07:42:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to all the teams who competed at the Western Region Oireachtas on November 17.

Competition 45 - Oireachtas, Ceili Dance, Ladies (A)
7 competitors in this competition

1 Claddagh School
2 Murphy Irish Dancers
3 Kennelly School
4 Yeates Academy

Competition 46 - Oireachtas, Ceili Dance, Mixed (A)
5 competitors in this competition

1 Claddagh School
2 Bennett School
3 Martin Percival School

Eastern Canada Oireachtas Results

2007-11-14T10:56:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the adult teams who competed at the Eastern Canadian Oireachtas November 10-11.

Adult Four Hand

1 Finnegan School A
2 Gilchrist B
3 Finnegan School B
4 Tir Na Nog A
5 Sue Fay Healy School of Irish Dance A

Adult Eight Hand

1 Sue Fay Healy School of Irish Dance A
2T Finnegan School A
2T Gilchrist A
2T Miller School of Irish Dance A

Western Canada Oireachtas Results

2007-11-14T10:48:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the teams who competed at the Western Canada Oireachtas on November 2nd:

1 Victoria School
2 Scoil Rince Clannad A
3 Scoil Rince Clannad B

Take a look at the photos from the event at AztecPhoto.com.

New Designs In Shop Irish Dance CafePress Store

2007-10-08T16:43:00.000-04:00

We've added a new product line to Shop Irish Dance -- the Peace, Love & Irish Dance line. T-shirts, bumper stickers, tote bags and more!

Remember that your purchase help keeps this website up and running!

Cool Dance Gear for Adults!

2007-09-01T10:19:00.001-04:00

If you're gearing up for fall classes and need new dance tees and more, visit the Shop Irish Dance store on CafePress. (You can even pick up a few Damhsóir.com items!)

There are some great tee shirts, dance bags and notecards available on the site. DISCLAIMER: All proceeds from the CafePress shop go to help pay for this site's domain and hosting fees... so please, help us out!

One Happy Camper Goes to Dance Camp - The Last Installment

2007-07-31T22:24:00.000-04:00

IMAGINE A DAY WITHOUT DANCE
By Blas Blogger

Can you imagine not being allowed to do Irish dance, or if you did you would be punished by a fine or by jail time. No, this isn’t a fiendish An Coimisiun plot to rid the world of adult dancers, but was in fact a day to day reality for the Irish people when the Public Dance Hall Act was passed by the government in 1930. This act, passed in 1930 was rigidly enforced for years. Prior to the passage of this act, the few joys that the impoverished Irish people had were their love of music and their dance. They would gather at the “crossroads” after working the fields for an often absentee landlord, for an evening of music and dance. The government passed the Dance Hall Act which prohibited people from congregating, playing music and yes dancing without a paid permit. Therefore, it was against the law for a typical Irish family to share an evening of music and dance at home with friends. The Catholic Church also saw an opportunity to capitalize on the Irish love of music and dance by erecting large parish halls with the idea of holding organized dances and charging an admission. However, many of these dances featured “big band” era type music and dance. During this period of economic hardship and cultural repression, a large segment of the population chose to immigrate to America. It is inconceivable but true that Irish music and dance was almost completely lost forever during this time period. It was only due to the foresight of organizations such as the Irish folklore society that the traditions of Irish music and dance were preserved. Now they are flourishing but we will never know for sure how much tradition was actually lost during this bleak time.

Week two rapidly was coming to an end. For most of the time I thought I would never want to leave, but closer to the end of the week getting back to a normal routine became very appealing.

It was true that I came to Ireland to dance 8 hours a day and I believe I accomplished just that. I had expert “tuition” (instruction) here at the University of Limerick and made many new friends from all over the world who share a common love of Irish music and dance.

Before the end of the week I was privileged to witness the debut of a new choreography by Dr. Catherine Foley and commissioned by An Coimisium entitled the Sionna Set. Sixteen dancers from the US, Ireland, and Great Britain joined together on the stage of the large concert hall at University of Limerick to perform this new set dance. The music was provided by the legendary musicians of Patrick Street.

On Thursday we had our last formal instruction. Friday was to be the last day of Blas complete with a performance by all the participants of this year’s program. Unfortunately, the only flight I was able to switch to left very early on Friday morning so I would not be able to join in. This may have been for the best because I would have probably stressed so much about not messing up that I would have messed up and spent my whole flight home and the following week kicking myself for messing up.
Therefore my last night there was stress free. Our final night out was at Dolan’s warehouse and a concert by Patrick Street.

The following morning two other Blas students and I shared a taxi to Shannon airport. This is my last entry and I appreciate the opportunity to share with other adult dancers what I came away with from my experience at BLAS. The lessons and tips I received were invaluable, but perhaps even more important was what I learned about the history of the dance that I love to do and how important it is to keep on doing it.

Help Preserve Irish Tradition – Keep on dancing no matter what your age!

One Happy Camper Goes to Dance Camp - Part 7

2007-07-22T17:38:00.000-04:00

BLAS WEEK TWO
By Blas Blogger

Week two dance instructors were Maria O’Conner and Michael Ryan. Maria is a remarkable young woman who has completed a degree in law, a masters at the University of Limerick in the Irish Dance program, teaches Irish dance at the University, and on weekends performs in Lord of the Dance.

Michael Ryan is a not only a phenomenal dancer but also produces such shows as Ragus featuring Gillian Norris. Both instructors had a similar style of teaching. We were challenged by a fast pace of new and increasingly difficult material, yet both teachers were very patient with us.

Michael was especially good about sharing the techniques necessary for executing manyof the steps. This style of teaching seems to work very well with adult students. As Orfhlaith pointed out, adults need to know where their weight is when learning new steps whereas children do not.

The routine was the same as week one with daily lecture classes, 2 technique classes per day, and evenings out. However with the amount of new dance material that we were presented with each day, and the need to have mastered that material by the next day, I began to stay in at nights to review the day’s instruction. I was also less tired the next morning than if I went out at night. Blas’ evening scheduled was friendlier for the musician who would not see the same instructor the next day so mastering the day’s lesson was not as pressing. Also many of the evenings out involved participating in a music session. While many of the dancers did continue to go out evenings, I wanted to be prepared for the next day’s class and I needed the extra time in the evening to do so.

During dance class one afternoon we were joined by Nick Yenson, a recent graduate of the 4 year degree program in Irish dance performance that the University of Limerick offers. Nick is an American originally from the DC area. He is a former student of the O’Neill-James School of Irish Dance. As a championship dancer Nick won the SRO twice and placed in the top five in both the North American Nationals and the Great Britain Nationals.

Nick was in the first class admitted to the University of Limerick’s dance program and was in the first graduating class. The first 2 years of course work included dance and music classes; the history of Irish music and dance as well as the study of the Irish language. During his third year, Nick was required to find a performance internship. He auditioned and was accepted into Riverdance. He toured with Riverdance for 3 months. The 4th year of his course work required that he take on 3 different projects: a research project; a vocational project; and a performance project.

The Irish dance program at the University of Limerick is the only one of its kind in the world. I hope that more dancers will consider this college program especially if they are not ready to completely shift their focus from Irish dance to more conventional college work.

I was very glad that I had stayed on for Week Two of Blas,

Next Blog: The Sionna Set.

One Happy Camper Goes to Dance Camp - Part 6

2007-07-17T22:12:00.000-04:00

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?
By Blas Blogger

Week one of BLAS was quickly coming to a close. It was coming faster than I realized because due to jet lag I was still a day behind. My new group of friends encouraged me to stay on another week, but I responded that I could always come again next year. I had been to Ireland 5 years earlier and had always planned to come back the next year. It had obviously taken me this long to get back and so the chances of my coming back next year were probably slim to none. So without too much arm twisting, I readily agreed to stay on for week two of BLAS.

I emailed my family with the “good” news.

Saturday was designated “On Your Own”. Several of us took the bus to Limerick. We bought beer and snacks for a session on our 4th floor lounge that evening after shopping the music stores for sheet music and CDs as well as many of the bookstores.

On Sunday, we took a day long bus tour of the Burren which is a part of Ireland known to be inhabited by an ancient civilization prior to the arrival of the Celts. Our tour guide was PJ Curtis, who is a professional broadcaster, record producer, author, and music historian. He has worked in Nashville, Memphis and Phoenix but has returned to his native place, the Burren. His most recent book is entitled THE LIGHTNING TREE and is based on his memories as a boy of a remarkable woman with healing powers named Mariah. He has won many awards for radio documentaries and other work, and he is the author of three previous books.

PJ took us a bit off the beaten track to the ruins of many a fort that still exists in the hills of Ireland. We laughed and talked all the way up the hill despite a steep climb, but there was something about reaching the top of the hill and standing in the architectural ruins of a people who had gone before that left us all silent as if we had all entered a church with services ongoing. There was no sound but the sound of the wind.

We next visited the ruins of an ancient church dating from 1644 that appeared to combine symbols of the Celtic and Christian religions. There was a fertility goddess on the outer part of the church. PJ said that local women would come to the church at night to pray for a child to the goddess. This was the part of Ireland that PJ grew up in and where he first met Mariah the subject of his most recent book. He said she was known to be a healer and therefore became a threat to the male-dominated local clergy.

After a full day, our bus took us to Dolan’s pub for dinner and another traditional session. It was a great feeling to know that I had another week left and I planned to make the most of each day.

Coming next: BLAS Week Two.

Editor's Note: Pictures coming soon!

One Happy Camper Goes to Dance Camp - Part 5

2007-07-11T21:52:00.000-04:00

BLAS BLUR, WEEK ONE
By Blas Blogger

Blas combined with jet lag, a full day of class, and lots of social outings results in what I would like to call Blas Blur, Week One.

Blas is a combination of lecture classes, 2 technique classes a day, noontime concerts by faculty and invited guests and evening events. In other words it’s a pretty full 24 hour day. Coincidentally the days are pretty long in Ireland during the summer months. Twilight would be about 10:00 pm and nightfall around 10:30 pm. This seemed to encourage everyone to pack as much into the day as possible. As could be expected, it got harder to get up the following morning for class which started at 9 am.

The majority of people here at Blas are musicians with 4 students who have concentrated primarily on dance. There are several students who play an instrument as well as dance and they divide their time between the dance class and the music classes. I am not a musician and did not attend any of the music classes, but I know that the music instructors were legendary.

Each day after lunch, the instructors and invited guests would give a concert.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF IRISH DANCE
The first day of lecture was a discussion led by Orfhlaith Ni Bhriann and Niall Kegan regarding the historical aspects of Irish dance and Irish music. Originally, according to our teachers, Irish music was designed to accompany the Irish dancer. From that point, dance has seemed to take one path while Irish music has taken another. If you have ever tried to dance at a traditional session it is usually not a very easy task. The musicians play very fast, they don’t always know the dance songs we dance to, and many find playing for Irish dancers very boring since we are always asking them to slow it down so we can do our fancy steps. From the musician’s point of view, they do not get to add ornamentation or “do their fancy steps” with their music so we have evolved into two separate groups when we originally started out together.

It is not clear exactly how Irish dance evolved, but it was primarily a rural pastime. The dancing master would travel from city to city, teach steps to the residents, and then move to the next town. The Gaelic League was an organization that was formed in the 19th century to primarily promote the Irish language and Irish literature. Music and dance was not on their original agenda. However, with the popularity of Irish dance and music, the Gaelic League soon took on overseeing these two art forms. The Gaelic League wanted to promote a positive persona of the Irish people and so the idea of deportment (or rigid posture) was encouraged. The first Irish dance competition actually had non-dancers as judges because the most prominent person in the town such as a banker or attorney was selected to judge dance to promote it as a middle class or upper middle class activity. The Gaelic League wanted to take much of the “peasantry” out of Irish dance. However, in doing so they may have taken Irish dance further from its original source. This may explain the renewed interest in “sean nos” or “old style” dance.

TECHNIQUE CLASS
The first week of Technique class was taught by Limerick University faculty members, Dr. Catherine Foley, Orfhlaith Ni Bhriann Mats Merlin, as well UL artist in residence Colin Dunne.

Dr. Foley taught a treble jig that had been handed down by a pupil (Phil Cahill now deceased) who had been the student of one of the last Irish dancing masters, Jeremiah Molyneaux. (pronounce Munnix). Later that week, Mats Merlin taught us “sean nos” or old style dancing. This is probably the closest to the form of dance to that was originally performed in the rural houses and at the crossroads of Ireland. It is a free form of dance, spontaneous for the most part, using a few memorized patterns of step. The arms are held loosely and are free to move with the music, and a dancer can easily dance to the music played at most trad sessions. However, like Irish step dance, the rising popularity of sean nos dancing has resulted in the organization of sean nos competitions. At a recent competition, only one of the competitors did not have a pre-rehearsed, choreographed set.

Colin Dunne was our instructor for 4 out of the 7 classes that we had that week. I understand that he is at present doing workshops throughout the US and if anyone is able participate; I would strongly encourage any Irish dance student to take advantage of his Masterclass Workshops. No matter what your level of your dance experience or expertise everyone in the class will walk away with some important information or advice that can improve their dance skills.

EVENINGS
It of course would not be Ireland without trips to the pub, traditional Irish music, and plenty of Guinness. On Tuesday evening, a bus took our group to Killaloe to a pub there owned by Irish stage comedian Brendan Grace. Our group ended up being the session players that night. Brendan Grace also shared a bit of his repertoire as well.

On Wednesday night, Carl Corcoran the course director was afraid that the students needed a night off from evening activities. Despite the night off, our 4th floor lounge became the site for a spontaneous evening traditional session with Irish hardshoe and sean nos dancing.

Thrusday night included a concert at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Limerick by fiddle player Martin Hayes.

The week was quickly coming to a close. I was scheduled to return to the states on Saturday morning just about the time I was well past jet lag, could at last find my way around campus without asking for directions, could now easily locate classrooms and arrive on time, and was no longer playing catch-up. I had just discovered the library and the wealth of books on Irish dance and music. It didn’t seem possible to experience Blas in just one week. I began to think about devising a Plan B.

Next Blog: THE BIG DECISION.

Congratulations!

2007-07-06T17:20:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to ALL of the adult ceili teams who competed at the 2007 North American Irish Dance Championships on Friday, July 6. The competition level was remarkable and so many teams did a wonderful job.

Adult Mixed Ceili

1. Young School (High Cauled Cap)
2. O'Rourke School (Morris Reel)
3. Crossroads Irish Dancers (Cross Reel)

Adult Ladies Ceili

1. O'Rourke School (Gates of Derry)
2. Sue Fay Healy School (High Cauled Cap)
3. Culkin School (Cross Reel)
4. Butler Fearon O'Connor School (Trip to the Cottage)
5. Young School (High Cauled Cap)
6. Bremer School (Eight Hand Reel)
7. Niall O'Leary School (Cross Reel)
8. Celtic Academy (St. Patrick's Day)

All teams were awarded places this year at the awards ceremony with the top 5 receiving crystal inukshuk statue awards.

One Happy Camper Goes to Dance Camp - Part 4

2007-07-05T14:41:00.000-04:00

BLAS DAY ONE
By Blas Blogger

I will not dwell on any more details regarding travel to Ireland, except to say my flight to Ireland was without delay or problem. I will also confess that I am a pretty bad blogger, but better late than never.

I arrived on campus in time to attend my first Master Class taught by Orfhlaith Ni Bhriain, TCRG and Mats Merlin. Both are faculty here at the University of Limerick. Orfhlaith teachers dance classes both at the University and off campus. She is currently working on her PhD here at the University. Mats is a native of Sweden and does Sean Nos dancing which literally means “old style”.

Being jet-lagged and coming right off a plane is not the best preparation for the first Master Class. In fact, I can’t say I actually remember the class at all. So I apologize for not providing more detail. Following dinner, BLAS students attended a ceili held at the Castleroy Park Hotel. The music was provided by the University of Limerick Ceili Band and called by Mats and Orfhlaith.

The rooms we are staying in are very comfortable and are arranged in wings of the building. Each wing has a common area where we have breakfast. We make our own breakfast with groceries delivered magically by unseen housekeepers which include Irish soda bread. My room is on the 4th and topmost floor. My neighbors are from England, Finland, Ireland, and Japan.

The musicians like to gather in these rooms for after class sessions for their own music sessions. There are some amazing musicians present; several of them play and sing professionally. There are young, middle-aged, and older students. I never cease to be amazed at how traditional Irish music is the one music that seems to bridge the generations and how easily people of all ages are able to come together and share their love of Irish music and dance.

This year’s students come from Japan, Finland, Chile, Argentina, Canada, the United States, Ireland, Scotland, and England. Most of the students are here as musicians. A smaller number are attending as dancers.

From the beginning, the program has been well-organized by the staff led by Carl Corcoran. Carl is a well-known Irish musician and recording artist who lived and toured in the United States for 20 years. He returned to Ireland where he became the host of a classical music program presented on RTE radio. He became involved in Blas when he attended here as a graduate student. This is the first year that he has served as the director for Blas, and he has done such a fantastic job, it looks like he won’t be getting off the hook for next year.

I will have more details about the program in my next post. Thank you for your patience.

Editor's Note: To see a larger image of the Happy Camper's photos, please click on the image.

Safe Travels to Ottawa

2007-07-02T17:00:00.000-04:00

Good luck and safe travels to all of the adult dancers heading this week to the North American Irish Dance Championships in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Damhsóir.com will be there with reports on the adult ceili competitions on Friday and observations from the Senior Ladies (and hopefully Mens) competitions on Wednesday. Be sure to check back with us here on the blog for updates, photos and commentary!

One Happy Camper Goes to Dance Camp - Part 3

2007-06-27T22:34:00.001-04:00

PLANES, CARS, SHUTTLES AND EVERYTHING ELSE
By One Optimistic Camper

Day Two and I am still here in New York, but I think I am kind of getting the hang of getting around the small section that I am traveling in. I’m learning the ropes so to speak. I have learned that my luggage will in fact be arriving ahead of me. Lucky bag, it caught an earlier flight on Aer Lingus. I discussed with NWA the possibility of me joining my bag on that flight, but it was already booked. It only left about 3 hours earlier with a stop in Dublin and landing in Shannon only a short time ahead of when I am scheduled to arrive on Delta.

Upon reflection, and after several discussions with NWA, I have come to the conclusion that something out of the ordinary happened yesterday. Several employees remarked about never seeing so many cancelled flights. Someone else mentioned something about Air Traffic Controllers and there was a spot on TV last night about passengers stranded for 4 days in Brazil who took eventually took over the airport. I can relate to that. I was standing in Delta rebook line with many passengers like myself who had sat on runways for up to 4 hours with no sign of bad weather. There was definitely some talk about organizing our line to deal with the essentially understaffed, uncaring, and aloof rebooking agent who would suddenly disappear from the ticket counter with no replacement for extended periods of time. I think the level of discontent in that rebooking line was eventually significant enough for the agent to call in some back-up.

I am now fairly certain that despite being a bit late to check in to my flight to Shannon, Delta had overbooked the flight and had given my spot away. I gathered this because of something the agent who rebooked me said about arriving 3 hours early to check in today because they were overbooked. I said “excuse me? what do you mean you are over booked. I have a confirmed, paid for reservation with flight insurance to boot! “ Then for the next 5-10 minutes she proceeded to tell me she did not say they were overbooked. I argued back, but I’m sure you did, I heard you, that’s exactly what you said!!

Realizing she was not going to admit to it I decided I was so tired, so hungry and thirsty I was hallucinating. After a good night’s rest, I realize that is exactly what she said, but technically she couldn’t admit to it. Obviously taking me for a real flight newbie (and even worse one of those naïve people who thinks the rules of airline travel are fair) tried to clue me in. I must have appeared as my children used to appear to me when they would whine “But that’s not fair”, and my sage parent reply to them was “Life’s not fair kid, get used to it”. My husband even remarked before I left that he had heard something about the planes being overbooked this summer. Of course I just thought he was just trying to rain on my parade. I again went through my spiel about having a paid for, confirmed reservation with flight insurance to boot!

What a difference a meal, a shower, and a night’s sleep makes. I have accepted the reality of my situation and am prepared to make the best of it. After checking out of the hotel, I came directly to the airport to check in. I’m really not going to trust that 3 hours is enough, I’m prepared to check in 6 hours early. My next goal is to buy something to wear because I will be issued a lost luggage voucher if I present receipts to NWA so I might as well buy something from an overpriced airport store.

A very nice thing happened while speaking with the hotel clerk about contacting LaGuardia or going to LaGuardia to find my bags. I was explaining the situation to her when she told me to hold on for a minute. When she came back she said she used to work for Delta and had just called them and said I definitely had a reservation now. I didn’t quite understand what she meant until later. When I initially checked in before going through customs and the agent printed my boarding past there was a number of a row and seat on it. I didn’t realize how special it was until I saw a large line of people standing in line to check in. When I went to join the line, the person ahead of me told me I didn’t need to check in because my boarding pass already had a seat assignment. I now understood what the hotel clerk had done for me. I had been like all these people standing in line. Whoever got there first got to go on the airplane until it was full. The previous day I was unlucky to be one of the last people to get there so therefore someone else was put on board.

So it appears that at last I will be flying to Ireland. Until then.

One Happy Camper Goes to Dance Camp - Part 2

2007-06-24T21:17:00.001-04:00

Follow "One Happy Camper" along as she attends Irish dance camp. Here's the second posting:

WHEN EVERYTHING THAT CAN GO WRONG GOES WRONG
By One Not So Happy Camper

I am by nature a planner. In fact, half the fun of a trip for me is planning it. I know that planning reduces stress and less stress is a good thing while traveling. But there are those occasions when events start a domino effect with the end result being all the best laid plans are for nothing.

Today was obviously one of those days for me. My first inkling of a “change in plans” was when I went online to NWA to check-in ahead of time and print my boarding pass. I was very surprised to find my flight to Memphis, then to La Guardia had been cancelled. Instead I was being sent first to Memphis, then to Detroit, and then LaGuardia. All this was happening 40 minutes later than my original arrival time. There didn’t seem to be much I could do about all this. I had figured in 3 hours between arriving at LaGuardia, traveling to JFK and boarding my flight. I had pre-booked my transportation from La Guardia to JFK and had been assured it was only a 20 minute trip

What I didn’t count on was a delay for no real apparent reason from my departure point other than the pilot saying something about not having enough people to help put the luggage on, followed by “since we have been delayed in leaving, we will have to stay on the runway a little longer since we lost our place in the landing line”.

Since we were late leaving, we were of course late arriving. And being late arriving, we were now again late leaving. I barely made the connection in Detroit. But I did make it and wrongly thought it would be smooth sailing from this point on. I suspected that it was a good possibility that my luggage might not make it. I was right. After standing pathetically next to the luggage conveyer belt until the last bag left made its second trip around, I went to the lost baggage office to file my claim and indicate where to deliver my luggage when it made it to New York as did all the rest of the people who barely made that connection as well. While I was to receive some reimbursement, I had no idea of where or when I would be able to purchase additional clothing. What was very troubling was the fact that all NWA additional flights to New York had been cancelled for the day meaning my luggage would not be arriving until tomorrow.

I contacted my transportation and within a short period of time was at JFK. Yet despite arriving more than one hour until the flight, but just under the 2 hours required check in time, the flight to Shannon had been closed, and I was just out-of-luck. I was directed across the street to the Delta counter to rebook my flight. That is where I stood in line for at least another hour plus while an announcement over the intercom ran every 10 minutes or so about boarding the flight for Shannon. I wish.

I did contact NWA while in line and the agents apologized for the inconvenience and deposited 10,000 bonus miles into my account. They also assured me if there was any problem with Delta it would be handled. There wasn’t too much problem with Delta other than the only flight that they had leaving for Shannon was the next evening at the same time 9:10 pm. That would still put me into Shannon in time to start the program, but I wonder with jet lag if I will be just be a walking zombie.

By this time it was after 10 pm and with all the delays I had yet to have anything more than two glasses of water all day. I traveled to the main terminal to attempt to put together a game plan, find something to eat, and pick up what I might need.

With what energy I had left, I tried to contact NWA to see if they could or would arrange an earlier flight to Ireland, but they were so overwhelmed with calls I would be automatically disconnected after holding for a short time. I was overwhelmed, discouraged, and miserable. After contacting my family to let them know what was happening, I received a pep talk from each of my daughters. They assured me it was going to be the greatest week of my life and that it would all work out. They became the parent to my child at that point.

I quickly decided that I would go insane if I had to be at JFK for another 20 hours. There wasn’t a comfortable chair in the whole terminal. I decided to find a room as close to the airport as I could find and book it overnight. The hotel had a free shuttle so transportation was made a little easier. And it is very close to the airport giving me a little less to worry about for later today.

So a few hours later, I am grateful to be comfortable, fed, and soon to be well-rested. Maybe by tomorrow my luggage and I will be reunited and get to make the trip together. Until then.

One Happy Camper Goes to Dance Camp

2007-06-24T20:56:00.000-04:00

Damhsóir brings you our newest contributor -- "One Happy Camper" -- who is headed to Ireland for Irish "dance camp." We'll update the site soon with all of our camper's tales. Until then, follow along on the blog for regular updates:

IRISH DANCE CAMP ISN’T JUST FOR KIDS ANYMORE
By One Happy Camper

I’m an avid Irish dancer. Chances are good if you are reading this you are too. No need to say more. I’ve been dancing for 10+ years and my love of dance does not appear to be waning.

For the past 5 years, summer and Irish dance camp has been a tradition for my two daughters and me. My oldest daughter worked as a counselor for 5 years at a well-known Irish dance camp. My youngest daughter attended the same camp as a camper, and I worked in the camp health station along with another camper’s mom for five years as well. Kelly and I not only worked well together but became great friends. It became a tradition. “Same time, next year” was all that needed to be said.

However, somewhere along the way my oldest daughter graduated from college, got a real job and couldn’t take summers off anymore. Then my youngest daughter discovered cheerleading and basketball. There didn’t seem to be any point in going to camp with a daughter who had not had her dance shoes on for the entire year.

Kelly experienced a similar set of events with her daughter who graduated from high school, took on two summer jobs, and prepared to go away to college this fall. It was really sad to realize this would be my first summer not going to Irish dance camp.

While randomly surfing the internet I revisited a site for University of Limerick’s summer program BLAS,(meaning "flavor of" according to a gaelic to English translation.) It was described as a one to two week intensive program in the study of both Irish music and dance (and you had to be age 16 or older to attend). It was in fact an Irish dance camp for Adults! My sadness about losing one tradition gave way to great optimism to starting a new one.

I overcame my feelings of guilt for doing something special for myself (which seems to be intrinsic to motherhood) and signed up to attend the BLAS Irish dance program for a week. So with bags packed and passport and tickets in hand, I will be leaving for Ireland on Saturday and touching down at Shannon airport early on Sunday morning. Class starts Monday morning with registration, a campus tour and then class placement.

I will keep you all posted daily on how it all goes. Until then!

"You might be an adult dancer if...

2007-06-17T09:56:00.000-04:00

... your idea of a fantastic vacation is doing Irish dance for 8 hours a day in Ireland."

COMING SOON! A Damhsóir reader (and soon to be contributor) jumps into "Irish dance camp" with both feet and shares her experience with us. More details coming later this week...

Feis Review: Old Dominion Feis

2007-06-16T21:13:00.000-04:00

Rachel J has submitted a feis review for the 2007 Old Dominion Feis which we've added to the Damhsóir Forum and the Guide to Feiseanna:

What a nice feis for adults! It was held in Jeb Stuart HS in Falls Church, VA and put on by the Maple School.

All the adult solos were run back to back on the same stage, progressing thru all levels in one dance before moving onto the next dance. We were on the largest stage in the gym and the only wooden platform one.

Go to the Old Dominion Feis Review on the Forum.

Revolution: The Show

2007-06-12T20:08:00.000-04:00

What happens when you take "Trading Taps" from Riverdance waaaaaay beyond the next step and kick it into the future?

Revolution, the show.

Check out their website for a video of the fusion of Irish, tap and rock-n-roll. Rumors are the show will be playing NYC later this summer -- we'll keep an eye out for updates!

Washington Post Dance Critic takes on Riverdance

2007-06-11T12:11:00.001-04:00

In Sunday, June 10th Arts section of the Washington Post, dance critic Sarah Kaufman had an article about Riverdance. The show is returning to Wolf Trap Park for the Performing arts for the 10th time this summer.

In the decades before "Riverdance," Irish dance had become stodgy and decidedly uncool. "It was a bit hand-knitted in its whole aspect," said Angela Bourke, a professor of Irish language and literature at the University College Dublin. It was taught to Irish children in previous generations as a form of cultural pride, with mothers spending their Friday nights curling their daughters' hair and sewing the costumes, Bourke said. But most young students tended to give it up eventually.

Here's a link to the full article.

When the Ghillie is on the Other Foot

2007-06-11T11:38:00.000-04:00

In the Irish dancing realm a MAID is a "Mother Addicted to Irish Dance." The term usually refers to those who live vicariously through their dancing children. What happens when a MAID (or a DAID - a dad) takes to the dance floor for their own classes?

As a parent of an Irish dancer one of the most common questions I hear is, “Did you Irish dance when you were young, and is that why your daughter dances?” No, actually it’s the other way round in reverse.

Damhsóir presents the first article from our newest team member, MegaMAID on what happens when the ghillie is on the other foot. Go to the article...

A New Team Member and Partner Site

2007-05-30T11:58:00.000-04:00

Welcome to our newest Damhsóir team member, Ges Seger.

Ges is the author of The Once And Future War. According to Ges, he is "currently misusing both his Physics degrees as a computer programmer working at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. Between that, driving his family to all their activities, and his own competitive Irish Dancing career, he has no time for anything in the way of meaningful hobbies."

Ges' feis reviews are a valuable part of our Guide to Feiseanna -- take a moment to visit the site as we've added 16 new reviews!

We've also partnered with the Clan Seger Irish Dancing site -- check out our Dance Bag for links to their Reel Help section for a wide variety of advice, reviews and other helpful hints

Feis Review: Comhaltas (CCE Feis)

2007-05-28T12:08:00.000-04:00

srdancer has posted a feis review for the 2007 Comhaltas Irish Dance Festival, or CCE Feis, on the Damhsóir Forum.

Strong adult turnout today -- the smallest competition was beginners with 3 dancers and the largest were the novice competitions with 19-20 dancers.

Two adult perpetual trophies at this feis -- the Nash Gerald Treble Reel trophy, which was won by Angela L. of the Beaton School, and the Peggy O'Neill 8-hand Cup which was won by the Culkin School's Cross Reel team.

More details in the Forum...

Joining the Team

2007-05-22T16:40:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Dancin' Mom, who has contributed a feis review for Rince Reno:

Rince Reno... has become an instant family favorite.

The hosting school has tapped into a network of seasoned volunteers and feis organizers, so the organization is superb...

Read the full review on our Guide to Feiseanna.

North American Championship Competitions Shaping Up

2007-05-21T11:06:00.000-04:00

The list of teams competing in the 2007 North American Irish Dance Championships in Ottawa on July 6 has been posted and it looks like it'll be a great competition this year. UPDATED with additional team information on 5/31/2007.

In the Mixed Team category, there are three teams (in alpha order):

CrossRoads - From the Mid Atlantic Region, the Crossroads Irish Dancers won the Mixed Ceili at the 2005 North American Championships and the 2005 Mid Atlantic Oireachtas.

O'Rourke - From the Mid Atlantic Region, the O'Rourke Academy of Irish Dancing mixed ceili team placed 3rd at the 2006 Mid Atlantic Oireachtas.

Young - Also from the Mid Atlantic Region, the Young School of Irish Dance placed 2nd at the 2006 Mid Atlantic Region Oireachtas.

In the Ladies Team category:

Bremer - From the New England Region, Rince Cois Fharraige, known as the Bremer School, is the reigning New England Oireachtas Championship team, having held the title since at least 2003. They also competed in the 2006 All Ireland Championships, and placed 3rd at the 2005 North American championships.

Butler-Fearon O'Connor - From the host Eastern Canadian Region, Butler Fearon O'Connor School of Irish Dance is the reigning 2006 ECR Oireachtas Champion and the 2005 NAIDC championship team. They competed at the All Irelands in 2005 and 2006.
Celtic Academy - From the Mid American Region, the Celtic Academy of Irish Dance placed 2nd at the 2006 Mid American Region Oireachtas and won the regional championship in 2004.

Culkin - From the Southern Region, the Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance is the reigning Southern Region Championship team, having held the title since 2004.

O'Leary - From the Mid Atlantic Region, the Niall O'Leary School of Irish Dance placed 3rd at the 2006 Mid American Oireachtas.

O'Rourke - From the Mid Atlantic Region, the O'Rourke Academy of Irish Dancing is the reigning National and Mid Atlantic Region Championship team. They also competed at the 2007 All Ireland Championships. The O'Rourke team also won the NAIDC Championships in 2002.

Sue Fay Healy School - From the Eastern Canadian Region, the Sue Fay Healy School of Traditional Irish Dance is the hometown team. Based in Ottawa, Ontario, the school will be competing at their first North American championships.

Young - From the Mid Atlantic Region, the Young School of Irish Dance placed 5th in the highly competitive 2006 Mid Atlantic Region Oireachtas.

Damhsóir.com will try to post updates about the NAIDCs as we near the competition. If anyone is attending and would like to serve as a correspondent or blog contributor, please let us know.

We've added a new forum!

2007-05-20T21:33:00.000-04:00

Join in the discussion on the new Damhsóir.com Forum. It's a new message board specifically for those with questions, concerns or comments about adult Irish dancers.

Visit the Damhsóir.com Forum here!

Post your feis reviews, questions or topics, or let us know what you'd like to see on the site!

Colin Dunne Workshops - Open for Registration

2007-05-09T15:31:00.000-04:00

Colin Dunne will once again be touring the U.S. this summer and offering workshops in a number of U.S. cities. For full details, visit www.colindunne.com. Dates include:

6-8 July. Gainesville , Florida

10-12 July New York

13-15 July Birmingham, AL

18-19 July Dallas, TX

21-22 July Nashville, TN

24-25 or 25-26 July - DC area (to be confirmed)

28-29 July Lincoln, NE

If you've attended a Colin Dunne workshop in the past, or will be attending this year, and care to send in a review, please visit the About Us page and send an email!

WANTED: Feis Reviews!

2007-04-30T11:49:00.000-04:00

Now that the Damhsóir Guide to Feiseanna is back up and running, we'd like to build out our feis reviews.

We're looking for the who, what, when, where and more importantly the how is was for adults for any of the competitions we have listed -- or for those we may have missed.

If you've got a review to submit, please send it to us by email: .

Let us know if you'd like to have your name included (we'll gladly post using your web ID, if you prefer).

Help us make this site a more valuable resource for adult Irish dancers!

More music available from Udance. com

2007-04-28T17:06:00.000-04:00

We just received the following note from Udance.com and thought it would be good to pass along:

We are very pleased to announce, that we now have a lot more Irish Dance Music available on our website, and now, it's all downloadable. We like to think we are building the itunes for Irish dancers. We have expanded our catalog, now you can download dance music from of Ellery Klein, Ryan Lacey, Mike Shaffer, Merv Bell, Sandy Jones, and soon, many more artists. Zero pop-up advertisements, just the music you need. We invite you to visit our new website www.udance.com.

Visit our YouTube Channel

2007-04-27T22:49:00.000-04:00

Take a trip over to the Damhsóir.com YouTube channel to see the start of our video library.

Posted above, the adults from the Heinzman School of Irish Dance in Toledo. If you know of more videos we can add, leave a comment here or over there!

Selling your dress? Post here!

2007-04-25T21:21:00.000-04:00

As much as it's about the dance, it's also about the look. And finding the right dress isn't always the easiest thing to do. So Damhsóir wants to make it just a little easier for you. As a service to the adult Irish dance community, we will list for free any dresses for sale that will fit adult Irish dancers. You'll also find a list of dressmakers on our site who have expressed an interest in designing for adults.

Selling a dress? If you are interested in selling a dress here on Damhsóir please see our terms of service before submitting any information. The only thing we ask is that dresses be sized for adults.

With our recent redesign, we're looking for new dresses to post. If you have an adult-sized dress for sale, please let us know and we'll get it online!

Catch us at FeisMom.com

2007-04-25T21:17:00.000-04:00

Damhsóir is proud to be a partner with FeisMom.com in providing information about adult Irish dancers to the Irish dance community as a whole. Several of our articles are posted on FeisMom.com and are available for rating and review.

Be sure to take a chance and visit!

Welcome to our Blog!

2007-04-25T17:30:00.000-04:00

In an attempt to make Damhsóir more dynamic, we're adding a blog where we hope to update the latest news, videos and other interest information specifically for adult Irish dancers.

If you're interested in being a full-time contributor, please go to the "About" page on the main site and send an email with a brief description of why you'd make a good contributor.

We're working as quickly as we can to get the site up and running at full speed. In the meantime, some of our pages have yet to be updated and some links may not work. Please be patient and they'll be running soon!

Damhsóir... The Blog

Some website changes....

Photos from the Os

Southern Region Oireachtas Results

Mid Atlantic Region Oireachtas Results

Mid American Region Oireachtas Results

New England Region Oireachtas Results

Western Region Oireachtas Results

Eastern Canadian Oireachtas Results

Western Canadian Oireachtas Results

We're updating the site....

2009 North American Irish Dance Championship Results

Congratulations to the Southern Region Oireachtas Winners

Congratulations to the Mid-American and Mid-Atlantic Teams

Congratulations to the Western Region and New England Region Adult Teams

Congratulations to the Western and Eastern Canadian Adult Teams

Site Updates

Site Updates Coming Soon

Congratulations!

New Photo Art on Shop Irish Dance

How 'bout a t-shirt?

Happy Holidays!

Oireachtas Pictures... Where do I find them?

Southern Region Oireachtas Results

Mid American Region Oireachtas Results

Mid Atlantic Region Oireachtas Results

New England Region Oireachtas Results

Western Region Oireachtas Results

Eastern Canada Oireachtas Results

Western Canada Oireachtas Results

New Designs In Shop Irish Dance CafePress Store

Cool Dance Gear for Adults!

One Happy Camper Goes to Dance Camp - The Last Installment

One Happy Camper Goes to Dance Camp - Part 7

One Happy Camper Goes to Dance Camp - Part 6

One Happy Camper Goes to Dance Camp - Part 5

Congratulations!

One Happy Camper Goes to Dance Camp - Part 4

Safe Travels to Ottawa

One Happy Camper Goes to Dance Camp - Part 3

One Happy Camper Goes to Dance Camp - Part 2

One Happy Camper Goes to Dance Camp

"You might be an adult dancer if...

Feis Review: Old Dominion Feis

Revolution: The Show

Washington Post Dance Critic takes on Riverdance

When the Ghillie is on the Other Foot

A New Team Member and Partner Site

Feis Review: Comhaltas (CCE Feis)

Joining the Team

North American Championship Competitions Shaping Up

We've added a new forum!

More Videos Added to our Library

Colin Dunne Workshops - Open for Registration

WANTED: Feis Reviews!

More music available from Udance. com

Visit our YouTube Channel

Selling your dress? Post here!

Catch us at FeisMom.com

Welcome to our Blog!