Grapevine Showdown: Cleveland Dancers Shine at North American Irish Dancing Championships

Over the Fourth of July holiday week, Irish dancers from all over the world traveled to Grapevine, Texas to compete in the North American Irish Dancing National Championships. The competition was fierce, and the standard of dancing was phenomenal!

Dancers must qualify to attend the North American Irish dancing championships, bringing the top level of dancers from the United States and Canada, as well as international dancers to show off their talents and compete for the North American National title.

The Gaylord Texan Resort hosted the North American Irish dancing championships this year. It was a beautiful venue, with restaurants, an arcade, a pool, and a water park. The host resort as well as several neighboring hotels were sold out for the entire week! Many dancers and their families enjoyed relaxation and family time by extending their stays, exploring everything the resort had to offer, and experiencing a bit of Texan culture.

North American Dance Championships

The competitions offered at the North American National Championships include team dances as well as individual solo competitions, with the youngest age group being under seven and the oldest being senior adults.

Several dancers from a variety of Cleveland Irish dancing schools competed at this event.

Cleveland Wins!

Many of Cleveland’s dancers brought home medals and prizes, including a few that placed on the podium! Con Holleran, from the Burke School, won 2nd place in the nation in the boys Under 8 championship, and Molly Day, from the Brady Campbell School, won 3rd place in the girls Under 8 championship!

The talent we have right here in Cleveland is amazing! Congrats to these superstars and all the dancers that trained and competed on the national stage!

World Championships

The North American National Championships is a world-qualifying event for North American dancers but is an open competition to anyone in the world, making this event highly competitive and desired. Dancers in the U10 age group and higher can potentially earn a world qualifying position if they place high enough in the competition. Approximately the top 10-15% of dancers qualify.

International competitors can earn high placements as well but cannot qualify for the World Championships at this event. They can qualify in their own regional or national championships.

Dancers that qualify for the World Championships will compete over the Easter holiday for the world title next year. Many dancers from local Cleveland Irish dance schools qualified for the 2025 World Championships that will be held in Dublin, Ireland. Be on the lookout for fundraising events to help our local kids represent the U.S.A. in the World Championships in the upcoming fall and winter months.

iIrish offers a special dance school plan to help raise funds for schools, called The McGarry Plan. Talk to our publisher, John O’Brien, Jr. ([email protected]), about the plan for your school or schools.

Now that the National Championships are over, dancers will enjoy performing at summer festivals and parades, continue competing in local feiseanna (competitions), and resting and recovering before the next round of major competition training begins.