More than 5,000 Irish dance competitors from all over the world competed over Easter weekend, in Montreal, at the 45th annual World Irish Dancing Championships.
It is the first time the championships have been held in Canada. The event took place at the the Palais des Congrès de Montréal.
Here's a list of the results:
Girls 10-11 Caoimhe Devlin from Scoil Rince McConomy Bradley : Cuige Uladh, EireGirls 11-12 Alliyah O'Hare from Scanlon : Midlands Region, England/Wales
Girls 12-13 Aiesha Coyle from Scoil Rince McConomy Bradley : Cuige Uladh, Eire
Girls 13-14 Cosette Debourbon from The Academy : Mid America Region, USA
Girls 14-15 Lauren Finglas from Carson-Kennedy Academy : Cuige Uladh, Eire
Girls 15-16 Julia O'Rourke from Doherty Petri : Cuige Uladh, Eire & Mid-Atlantic, USA
Girls 16-17 Melanie Valdes from Doherty Petri : Cuige Uladh, Eire & Mid-Atlantic, USA
Ladies 17-18 Shannon Bradley from Doherty Petri : Cuige Uladh, Eire & Mid-Atlantic, USA
Ladies 18-19 Ellen Kennedy from O'Connor : Cuige Chonnacht, Eire
Ladies 19-20 Michaela Hinds from Butler-Fearon-O'Connor : Eastern Region, Canada
Ladies 20-21 Sinead Malone from Caroline Greene School : Scotland
Senior Ladies over 21 Nadine Martin from Doherty : Midlands Region, England/Wales
Boys 10-11 Diarmuid Mac Shane from Carol Leavy : Cuige Uladh, Eire
Boys 11-12 Tiernan Fahy from Scoil Rince McDonagh-Timoney-Fahy : Cuige Chonnacht, Eire
Boys 12-13 Sean Slemon from Rinceoirí Na Ríochta : Cuige Mumhan, Eire
Boys 13-14 Tadgh Spillane from Lavin-Cassidy : Mid America Region, USA
Boys 14-15 Joseph McGeown from Murchu Duiginn : Southern Region, England
Boys 15-16 Matthew Gardiner from Hession : Cuige Chonnacht, Eire
Boys 16-17 Jack Quinn from Scoil Rince Ui She : Cuige Laighean, Eire
Men 17-18 Gavin Shevlin from Scoil Rince McConomy Bradley : Cuige Uladh, Eire
Men 18-19 Colm Conneely from Hession : Cuige Chonnacht, Eire
Men 19-20 Michael Gardiner from Hession : Cuige Chonnacht, Eire
Men 20-21 Conor Simpson from Simpson Academy : ACT, Australia
Senior Men over 21 Ian Gott from Butler-Fearon-O'Connor : Eastern Region, Canada
Sub Minor Girls Céilí under 11 Harney Academy : New England Region, USA
Minor Girls Céilí 11 – 13 Lavin-Cassidy : Mid America Region, USA
Junior Girls Céilí 13 – 16 Claddagh : Western Region, USA
Senior Girls Céilí 16 - 19 Lavin-Cassidy : Mid America Region, USA
Sub Minor Mixed Céilí under 11 Mullane Healy Godley : Mid America Region, USA
Minor Mixed Céilí 11 – 13 Scoil Rince McDonagh-Timoney-Fahy : Cuige Chonnacht, Eire
Junior Mixed Céilí 13 – 16 Scoil Rince McDonagh-Timoney-Fahy : Cuige Chonnacht, Eire
Minor Girls Figure under 13 The Academy : Mid America Region, USA
Junior Girls Figure 13 – 16 Mullane Healy Godley : Mid America Region, USA
Senior Dance Drama Murphy Irish Arts Center : Mid America Region, USA
The dancers, who competed in a variety of age groups and can compete individually or in teams, and perform three dances in front of a panel of seven inter-nation judges. Their final result is based on all three rounds.
Rose Anne Jackson, a former dancer from Scotland who now sells wigs and accessories at the event, says that the dancers come from a range of cultural backgrounds.
“Because of the power of the Lord of the Dance and Riverdance shows, people worldwide have become captured with the whole culture and tradition and the dance,” she told the Globe and Mail.
“To achieve at this level, you would be attending dance class five to seven days a week and practicing,” she said. “The kids who are competing here are the best in the world – they’re like Olympians.”
Jackson believes the curly wigs she sells creates a uniformity that levels the playing field.
“Some kids have beautiful curly hair and some have horrendously straight hair and it [the wigs] just makes them all look the same,” she said.
Jacqueline Kennedy, from Belfast, co-founded Elevation Design, which sells custom-made dresses that can cost up to $2,500.
“Some of them might like something Celtic, others may want to be more contemporary, so our job is to match the customer with the proper dress,” she said.
This year, eight Canadian members of An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha, the Irish Dancing Commission, will be honored at the event. They are Mary Bryan, Brigid Grant, Paula Woodgate, the Butler Family, Sally Houston, Finnuala Irwin, Violet Moore and Margaret Mullen.
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