My daughter loves Irish Dance and all it’s traditions. She has been dancing with an Irish dance school here in Atlanta for the last few years and is currently preparing to dance at the Southern Oireachtas. A regional competition for the southern region which also includes the country of Mexico.
Irish dancing is different than the clogging and highland dancing I grew up with. But I love that she is doing it. Watching her makes me feel close to my roots and the jigs and reels I heard as a child. She could have chosen ballet or tap or any other modern dance. In fact, I’m not even sure how she knew to ask about Irish dance. But she did, and here we are, fully invested in a sport with roots all the way back to the old country.
The History of Irish Dance
While there are brief nods to traditional dance all the way back to the Druids, it is a letter to Queen Elizabeth in 1569 that detailed the “very beautiful, magnificently dressed and first class dancers”, of Irish jigs in Galway. Dancing for Royalty, a regular house party or a wake. The tradition continued to grow. By the eighteenth century traveling dance teachers called Masters were teaching peasants their right from their left foot. And before long competing students of district Masters were show casing their dance steps at fairs. While groups (teams) have been dancing together the idea of solo dancers didn’t arrive until the end of the eighteenth century.
The costumes of today pay homage to the traditions of 200 years past. Each school has their own distinct dancing costume. They dresses are based on the clothing peasants wore and are adorn with embroidery and capes that fall down the back. Completed by hard or soft shoes depending on the dance.
Céili is an Iris word meaning a gathering of neighbors to enjoy time together playing music and dancing. It was a word I was grew up hearing. A kitchen céili was a house party. I guess most parties back home always ended up in the kitchen. In Ireland, the céili can be traced back to pre-famine times. At that time meeting at the cross-roads and dancing was a popular pastime.
All sports have a tradition that often dates back a few years. To an origin. Telling someone’s story through their activities can be a great way to get to know them.
Blue skies,
Tami