By Catherine Duplisea
In early October, Irish dancers competed from around the world at the All-Scotland Championships. Two American champions with local Ohio family ties were among the top winners!
The best part is these two dancers are the best of friends and live in two different states. Incredible talent and Irish cultural pride is alive and well in our young people!
Maggie Murphy, whose mother grew up in the Westpark neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, placed 9th at the 2024 All Scotland Championships! Maggie dances for the Doherty Petri School of Irish dance. Maggie travels back to Cleveland often to visit her grandparents, aunt, cousin, and friends.
Maggie has been dancing since the age of four in New York. She is a third-generation Irish dancer following in the footsteps of her Nana, Mary Beth Murphy (née Fahey), who danced for Tessie Burke in the early 1960s and continued with Betty Scott.
Her mother, Annie Murphy Leneghan, also danced for Betty and Peggy Cannon under the Cannon-Kish School of Irish dance. She has traveled to many international competitions, including three World Championships, and placing ninth at the 2024 All-Scotland Championships, her best overseas finish to date.
Maggie won sixth place in the heavy shoe round! She an all-around great kid and athlete. She continues to push herself and work very hard to achieve great results.
“My Nana is my biggest fan and traveled to my first World Championship in Belfast in 2022. One of my favorite parts of dance is all of the memories, travel and friendships I have made along the way. I have so many friends in the Cleveland area and its pretty amazing that many of their parents and grandparents used to dance with my Mom and Nana. Our families are all still connected through dance and our Irish heritage. I am grateful for all for these experiences that dance has brought to me.” – Maggie M.
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Garet Zagorski is the son of champion Irish dancer, Kristin Butke Zagorski, who grew up in the Akron, Ohio area. Kristin danced for the O’Hare School in Akron, Ohio and is now her son Garet’s teacher at her very own dance studio, Kristin Butke Irish Dance in Virginia.
Another interesting fact is that Garet’s Uncle, Jimmy Butkey, is a well-known Feis musician. The Butke family has both Irish dancing and Irish musical talent, and Garet has embraced both. He plays the cello, tin whistle, and piano.
Garet travels the world to compete in both traditional Irish music and Irish dancing. He holds international titles in both, and he is a joy to watch. Garet has traveled overseas for Irish dancing completions since he was a wee one, around five years old. He holds several international and local titles, including North America Champion, All-Scotland Champion, and 2022 World Champion!
In early October, Garet recently won first place at the 2024 All-Scotland Championships in the U14 Boys competition! Garet loves the sport of Irish dance and claims that the friendships are the best part of the journey!
“Irish dance has always been a part of my life. My mom has been dancing since she was a child and now she is my teacher. Irish dance has given me so many opportunities and fun adventures. My favorite thing about Irish dance is the friends I’ve made. Dance friends are the best friends.” – Garet Z.
Both locally rooted superstars train very hard and diligently year-round. They wake up in the wee hours of the morning to train and put in several hours of training each week in their respective studios to perfect their skills. They are both tremendous athletes, academic students, and are well rounded with other extracurriculars.
We wish these two and all Irish dancers preparing for their regional competitions coming in November and December, the best of luck! Shine bright and know that you have an entire city of Cleveland, Ohio, full of Irish Americans, rooting you on!
Read more of Catherine’s Dance, Dance columns HERE
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*Catherine Duplisea was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She danced for and now assistant teaches for the Burke School of Irish Dance. Catherine attained her Bachelors degree at John Carroll University, Ohio and earned a Masters of Education: Applied Digital Learning degree from Lamar University, Texas. She taught elementary education for ten years, served as a curriculum STEM coach for teachers for five years, and currently supports principals in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
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