World Irish Dance championships to be held in Dublin - VIDEO

I learnt a little Irish dancing as a kid. I'm sorry I didn't keep it up. For the few guys who do Irish dancing, they are in a small minority as compared to the girls. Now they're the kind of odds I like--outnumbered 10 or 15 to one by young ladies in their early twenties. You could do the Siege of Ennis with a different one every nite!

PS on hairstyle – this time that of the boys’: When I was doing Irish dancing, my mother would use Brylcream to put a quiff in my hair for the competitions! I hated the stuff! But - Tanks be ta Gawd - didn’t someone invent Hair & Shoulders...! >>> BTW – for anyone who thinks boys doing Irish dancing are “sissy” – let me tell you that Irish dancing is no easy thing... my years doing this dancing made me exceptionally fit and developed my leg muscles so strongly that they served me well when I became an Inter-county GAA footballer and a very fast track athlete. I still enjoy a great bit o’ Ceili dancing.

@ katieherk – good question re the wigs. When my sisters were little girls participating in Irish dancing, our mother used to go through great lengths to curl their hair into ringlets for the competitions (and for every Sunday Mass!). No wigs back then. The sight of dancing girls – as seen in the video above, upper body straight, arms straight by their sides, with all the toe-dancing and high kicks being done by the legs only from the hips down (the Art of Irish Dancing), beautiful dresses bouncing to their dance steps - was hugely enhanced by bobbing curled ringlets back then and may have influenced judges’ markings! Would love to know why Americans continue with that old style – Riverdance style seems now to be the “in” thing – you know what I mean: relaxed style of dancing, arms a-swinging, natural hair bounces. Good luck to all taking part in the World Championships & Cead Mile Failte to me oul’ home city this coming week. Enjoy Dublin and the dancing!

IF ONLY THEY'RE GET RID OF THE UGLY WIGS... THEY USED TO LOOK SO NEAT WITHOUT THEM. WHY WAS IT STARTED?

I am always enthused by aspects of the Riverdance phenomenon.

I wish them every success, but they should know that most Irish people sneer at Irish dancing. Of course that just shows what fools the Irish are.