Sandra Connick, the chairperson of An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha, (CLRG, the oldest and largest competitive Irish dance organization), announced in a statement to membership that CLRG is "no longer in a position to pursue further disciplinary actions against those individuals accused of wrongdoing."
Connick's full statement, as seen by IrishCentral on Wednesday afternoon, May 22, follows:
“For the past 21 months CLRG has been deeply immersed in addressing the historical allegations of wrongdoing at CLRG competitions stemming from complaints received in 2022, while at the same time working to introduce real change and reform across our organisation.
“From my previous correspondence, you will be aware of the great effort and time invested by CLRG in creating an external, independent disciplinary process to conduct hearings for those individuals facing disciplinary, with the first hearings beginning in 2023.
“It is with great regret that I must now inform you that CLRG is no longer in a position to pursue further disciplinary action against those individuals accused of wrongdoing.
“This decision was taken by Coiste Faire [Ethics Committee] on behalf of CLRG, and these individuals are now being contacted by our legal team.
“I have no doubt many you will be extremely frustrated by this decision, as am I. Unfortunately, it is a necessary and unavoidable course of action at this time.
“I would like to note the actions that have been taken by CLRG in recent times to strengthen the processes and procedures around adjudication, helping ensure fair competition and effective adjudication.
“Enhanced competition and adjudication procedures were introduced in advance of the 2023 All Ireland Championships that continue to be strictly adhered to and enforced at all CLRG competitions. The procedure for selecting adjudicators for competitions was also amended so that all registered 2,300 CLRG Teachers and Members have a vote in the process.
“CLRG is undergoing a modernisation and transformation process, guided by the recommendations of the independent strategic review that took place last year. A new Managing Director has been appointed, with further changes expected in the near future, including the development of a new, robust disciplinary code of practice.
“I fully acknowledge how disappointed CLRG Teachers and Members will be with today's news.
"However, I would encourage you to continue to place your faith in the organisation as we move forward to best represent the interests of Irish dancing across the globe.”
In October 2022, CLRG confirmed that it had launched an investigation after a complaint, seen by IrishCentral and circulated on social media, implicated at least 12 Irish dance teachers and or adjudicators in asking for certain placements and favors before Irish dance competitions even began. Some of the favors requested were sexual in nature.
An independent investigation recommended in December 2022 that 44 cases be moved to "full disciplinary hearings." The names of the people involved in the disciplinary hearings have not been made public by CLRG.
In February 2023, an Irish High Court ruled that while CLRG's disciplinary process should proceed, one teacher and adjudicator, Amanda Hennigan, should have her suspension halted.
The following month, CLRG announced that following a competitive tendering process, it had appointed global management firm Sia Partners to conduct a complete review of its organizational processes and structures.
Sia Partners embarked on a strategic audit of CLRG’s constitution, entire organizational structure, adjudication and competition rules and regulations, disciplinary procedures, and practices, in line with Motions 2 and 3 agreed at CLRG’s December Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM).
In May 2023, CLRG announced it underwent its "largest change in elected representatives ever" at its Annual General Members meeting. Connick became the Chairperson and Mary Sweeney and Carmel Doyle became Vice-Chairpersons.
A day later, CLRG confirmed it had begun the process of serving books of evidence to many individuals facing a disciplinary hearing.
The cases will be heard by an independent External Disciplinary Panel "in the coming weeks," the spokesperson said in May 2023.
CLRG also said that month that it had developed an "enhanced set of disciplinary procedures and practices" that allow the External Disciplinary Panel to hear CLRG disciplinary cases, address the differing degrees of misconduct, account for the international spread of cases to be heard, and permit legal representation.
In July 2023, CLRG said the report by Sia Partners was complete and would be considered at the July 29 EGM and that a detailed summary of the report would be distributed to all CLRG Registrants after the EGM.
According to the Irish Times, the Sia Partners report found an “overall lack of trust” within CLRG and that the organization’s complaint process was “not trusted.”
CLRG lacked a “clear vision,” the report said, and needed to become more “dancer centric.”
Concerns were raised about the “variation” in how rules were applied between regions and schools, especially in competitions.
The report said “unwanted behaviors” by some were “negatively impacting” the culture of the governing organization.
The report recommended hiring a professional chief executive officer or a chief operations officer to run the organization.
There should be a stronger code of conduct, as well as a focus on how to change “elements of the culture that no longer serve the organisation," the report said, according to the Irish Times.
The report also recommended the number of elected members be cut by at least 40 percent.
CLRG said last August that the first disciplinary hearings had commenced.
In October 2023, "The Year that Rocked Irish Dancing" - which IrishCentral contributed to - aired on BBC One Northern Ireland. Aside from high-level Irish dance competition, the documentary addressed both the cheating scandal that emerged in 2022, as well as the separate allegations of sexual abuse, which were first reported here on IrishCentral in December 2019.
After the documentary debuted, it emerged that the BBC fought off a legal attempt to block the Irish dancing documentary from airing.
Ahead of the documentary's final episode, Connick emphasized the "historical" nature of the allegations in a statement to CLRG membership.
Connick's message on May 22 comes more than three months after a spokesperson for CLRG said that "the first ten external disciplinary hearings concerning the historical allegations of wrongdoing at Irish dancing competitions will have been heard and concluded by the middle of March."
In the same February 9 statement, the spokesperson added: "The hearings are moving forward and we are committed to having the remaining cases heard and concluded by the Summer."
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