Irish Dancing

One of the main things people think of when they think of Ireland is Irish Dance, or River Dance, as the majority of people know it.

The production of River Dance is what actually helped Irish Dance become popular around the world in recent times.

Though River Dance has only been around in the last couple of decades, Irish Dance has existed for centuries. Some of the earliest records indicated that the Druids danced in religious rituals to honor the oak tree and the sun. Traces of their dances can be seen in modern Irish Dance.

Celts and Anglo-Normans also brought their own influence into the dances. The influence of all these different cultural groups made Irish Dancing popular for centuries. When royalty arrived in Ireland during the 18th century, they were greeted by Irish dancers. When many castle were being built in the 17th century, Irish dancing was used as celebration for a completed project. The popularity grew so much, that Irish Dance Masters would travel the country teaching Irish Dance to as many people as possible. Even dances were created to ensure that those who were not the best of dancers could still enjoy dancing.

Luckily I didn't have to pay loads of money to see River Dance; travel to a castle; marry royalty or find a Dance Master to enjoy Irish Dance.

Today, at the end of Grafton Street, there was a small stage built and many different groups of Irish dancers were preforming. What make it so special was that these students were dancing for charity. They were raising money for Somalia. I was so impressed with these students! All of them looked to be teenagers and at such a young age they were so talented! There was a traditional Irish band playing the music for the dancers. I was also impressed that on their free day they were working for a great cause.

It was such a treat to listen to the musicians and watch the dancers. Below are some video clips of the performances :)