A dream come true for Kerry dancer

A young Co. Kerry boy has his bags packed, his steps rehearsed and his Irish dancing costume spick and span.

Sean Hanafin, 12, from Tralee, County Kerry is bursting with excitement as he prepares for the biggest Irish dancing competition of his entire life.

Sean, who has been dancing since he was four years old, is traveling to Philadelphia this weekend to participate in the 2009 World Irish Dancing Championships where he hopes to bring a gold medal back to Kerry.

He will compete in the boy’s under-13 competition at the Perelman Theatre in Philadelphia on Sunday, April 5 at 1.30 pm.

Dancing is part of Sean’s genetic makeup. His mother Marie and his grandmother Mary O’Carroll have been one-two-threeing it since they were youngsters.

“It was my mom who got me into Irish dancing because she was an Irish dancer herself and I loved it the minute I started,” said Sean.

“My mom danced in feisanna (Irish dance competitions) when she was younger and my nana used to teach Irish dancing,” he said proudly.

And dancing has become a very special part of Sean’s youth. Not only has he made a lot of good friends with the same passion for the slip jigs and the horn pipes, Sean has also traveled the globe participating in Irish dancing competitions.

“I have traveled to places that I would never have got to see if I was not Irish dancing,” he said. “I danced in Taiwan in 2005 and 2006, in Venezuela in 2006, Manchester 2007 and I have traveled extensively throughout Ireland competing.”

However, Sean said the most important part of it all for him is having the ability to celebrate his Irish heritage through dance. 

“For me it’s really important and nice to be able to preserve one of Ireland's beautiful traditions,” said the Kerry boy.

Sean, who won the Munster Championship under-seven category in 2003, said he is very excited about traveling to the U.S. this weekend. 

 “I can't wait to visit Philadelphia as I've heard so many great things about it,” he said.

Apart from the competitive side of the trip, Sean said he enjoys making new friends with dancers from around the globe and experiencing how Irish dance brings them all together.

​
Nster.com