RSS
Entertainment


Home Page > Entertainment > No signs of a recession at the Putnam County Feis

Blogs


comment on article Make a comment
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail

No signs of a recession at the Putnam County Feis

Irish dancing: A recession-proof hobby

By
FRIEDA KLOTZ,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Monday, May 18, 2009, 10:04 AM
Updated Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 7:28 PM

 

Bookmark and Share

The under 12 girls prize winners at the 2009 Putnam County Feis
The under 12 girls prize winners at the 2009 Putnam County Feis

Photo gallery of the Putnam County Feis: Click here

Irish dancing can be a costly hobby, with the costumes, the wigs and the transport to and from competitions.

But it’s something that won’t suffer when money gets tight, says Anna O’Sullivan, head of the O’Sullivan School of Irish Dancing in Putnam County. “If parents are out of work, you can’t expect them to pay -- they have to put food on the table,” she says. “I bet a lot of Irish dancing teachers would say the same.” 

There’s certainly no sign of the recession or hardship at the 30th annual Putnam County Feis, at the Veteran Memorial Park near Brewster, organized by the Emerald Association, an organization founded in 1974 to promote Irish culture. The feis is held every year on the third Sunday in May.

There are hundreds of trophies to be won, and people from of all ages compete, the oldest in the contest being 21 and the youngest just four years old.  

The Putnam County Feis is a local competition, but the dancers come from as far south as Virginia, as far north as Maine, and as far West as Ohio. If they succeed here, the next step is a regional competition, and if they get beyond that, the chance to be world champion. 

This year, the sky’s gray and there’s a chill in the air, but 700 dancers are milling around the outdoor tents, wearing coats, tracksuits and blankets when they’re not performing. The weather is like an Irish spring; and the park, with its open greenery and blooming trees, is just like the Irish countryside.  

O’Sullivan says that this is one thing that attracted her to Putnam County.

Yesterday, when she was driving with her daughter they saw a field of young calves. “Mom, it looks just like Ireland,” her daughter exclaimed. The open space means that children can feel free here, just like in rural Ireland, O’Sullivan says. 

Dancing is a way to keep kids out of trouble, she adds. And it keeps the Irish community together too. “If anyone’s in trouble, the Irish flock together like bees to honey,” she says. “That’s why heritage is so important.”

Irish dancing is part of that support network, helping to build it up from an early age. “The most important thing for the kids are the friendships they make,” says O’Sullivan. 

It looks like neither the recession, nor the weather, can stop Irish dancers.

print this article Print
email this articleE-mail


Be the first to make a comment.

It may take several minutes for your comment to appear.


Click to learn more from DiscoverIreland.com.


Connect to IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

Welcome to IrishCentral!
Please provide the following information in order to create your account

Username:
E-Mail Address:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy


Welcome to IrishCentral!
All we need is the following information and you will be part of the #1 Irish community in the US

E-Mail Address:
First select a unique username:
Username:
Now choose a password:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Thank you!

Just one more step and you will be part of the largest Irish community in America! Tell us a little more about you to start enjoying all the features of IrishCentral.

Additional Information:

First Name:
Last Name:
Date of Birth:
Zip:
Gender: Male  Female 
Country:
Degree of Irishness:
Household Income:
Level of Education:

Subscribe to our newsletters:

The Best of IrishCentral - Daily Newsletter
Special Offers from our sponsors

or
Skip

You can edit your information at any time, just go to "my account" when you're logged in.

Log into IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

E-Mail:
Password:
 Remember me Forgot my password