2011 North American Irish Dancing Champion List

2011 North American Irish Dance Championship Results

Girls under 14a Top Nine

Girls under 9 Awards

Girls under 12a Top Ten

All photos copyright 2011 Feis America LLC

The 2011 North American Irish Dancing Championships resulted in a total of 17 titles carrying over from 2010 - 6 boys/men, 8 girls/ladies and 3 teams! The girls' champions included two pairs of sisters - Fiona and Kevinah Dargan from Rince na Tiarna (NY) and Charlotte and Anna Sulger from Pender-Keady (CT). Celtic Steps took five team titles, with Harney and Cashel-Dennehy teams next in number. Of special note is that Cashel-Dennehy's TWO under 16 ceili teams tied for first place in an unprecedented win!

Ten North American titles were carried across the Atlantic to Ireland and the United Kingdom, but the majority remain here in the United States and Canada. Congratulations to all those who qualified and those who topped the podiums!

Boys u8 Ronan O’Brien Anthony Costello Ireland
Boys u9 Collin Mountain Richens/Timm Ohio, US
Boys u10 Adam McGhee Coleman Ireland
Boys u11 Patrick Mello Harney Massachusetts, US
Boys u12 Sean Crosby Hagen New York, US
Boys u13 Owen Luebbers Broesler NJ/MD, US
Boys u14 Peter Dziak Trinity IL/WI, US
Boys u15 Mitchell Hodges Carey England
Boys u16 Drew Lovejoy McGing Ohio, US
Boys u17 Joe Bitter Carey England
Men u18 Nicholas Paulson Broesler NJ/MD, US
Men 18-20 Cathal Keaney Hession Ireland
Senior Men Michael Holland Richens/Timm Ohio, US

Girls u8 Charlotte Sulger Pender-Keady Connecticut, US
Girls u9 Molly McAdam Kelly-Hendry England
Girls u10 Emily Marino Rince na Tiarna New York, US
Girls u11A Ava Marie Schroder Mattierin Western Canada
Girls u11B Margeret Muise Tim O’Hare Michigan, US
Girls u12A Julia O’Rourke Petri New York, US
Girls u12B Clare Murray Macritchie Murray New Hampshire, US
Girls u13A Aîne Claire Sheehan McDade-Cara Pennsylvania, US
Girls u13B Melanie Valdes Petri New York, US
Girls u14A Fiona Dargan Rince na Tiarna New York, US
Girls u14B Anna Sulger Pender-Keady Connecticut, US
Girls u15A Aisling Reinhardt Elaine Kavanaugh Ireland
Girls u15B Mellissa McCarthy Harney Massachusetts, US
Girls u16A Niamh O’Brien Anthony Costello Ireland
Girls u16B Sarah Oldam Peter Smith New Jersey, US
Girls u17A Kevinah Dargan Rince na Tiarna New York, US
Girls u17B Kate Kaneko Peter Smith New Jersey, US
Girls u18A Kelly McCourt Gray Connecticut, US
Girls u18B Taylor Kerrane Petri New York, US
Ladies u19 Gabriella Wood Petri New York, US
Ladies u20 Nadine Martin Doherty England, Wales
Senior Ladies A Meghan Lucey Pender-Keady Connecticut, US
Senior Ladies B Frances Dunne Doherty England, Wales

Ceili Girls u9 Lavin-Cassidy Illinois, US
Ceili Girls u11 Harney Massachusetts, US
Ceili Girls u13 Harney Massachusetts, US
Ceili Girls u16 Cashel-Dennehy Illinois, US tied with Cashel-Dennehy Illinois, US!!!!
Ceili Girls 16+ Cashel-Dennehy Illinois, US
Mixed Ceili u9 Harney Massachusetts, US
Mixed Ceili u11 Harney Massachusetts, US
Mixed Ceili u13 Peter Smith New Jersey, US
Mixed Ceili u16 Celtic Steps Colorado, US
Mixed Ceili 16+ Whealan-Kennelly California, US
Figures u13 Celtic Steps Colorado, US
Figures u16 Celtic Steps Colorado, US
Figures 16+ Celtic Steps Colorado, US
Dance Drama McGing Ohio, US
Adult Women’s Ceili Whealan-Kennelly California, US
Mixed Figures u11 Mulhern Illinois, US
Mixed Figures u13 Drumcliffe New York, US
Mixed Figures 16+ Celtic Steps Colorado, US

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Pender-Keady's Sulger Sisters Claim Two North American Irish Dancing Championships!

2011 North American Irish Dancing Champion Girls under 8

Charlotte Sulger from Pender Keady (CT)

photo copyright 2011 Photography by Harrington

2011 North American Irish Dancing Champion Girls u14a

Anna Sulger from Pender-Keady (CT)

photo copyright 2011 Photography by Harrington

Tuesday night's awards at the 2011 North American Irish Dancing Championships in Nashville, Tennessee delivered a double whammy delight to the Sulger family from Connecticut! Sisters and Pender-Keady dancers Charlotte and Anna Sulger clinched the titles for their age groups before a crowd of thousands.

Kathleen Keady, ADCRG, of Pender-Keady Academy of Irish Dance said, "We were thrilled with how all of our students did at the North American's this year, and the icing on the cake was having Meghan Lucey win the Senior Ladies and then to top if off having both of the Sulger sisters win their championships on the same night!"

Charlotte, who turned 8 in May, placed 12th at her first North American Nationals last year and 2nd at the 2010 Regional Oireachtas. New Englanders recall the joy captured in photos when Charlotte and her best friend, Brigitte Reid, also a Pender-Keady dancer, realized they were the Top Two in their competition. Charlotte was only 7, competing in the under 8 event at that time.

This is the SECOND North American Irish Dancing Championship title for Anna, who won the Girls under 12b event in 2009. Anna, who will turn 14 on July 30th, did not compete at the NAIDC in 2010 due to a hip injury, but came back strong last fall to defend her New England Oireachtas title. Anna placed 3rd and was the highest placing North American in her age group at both the 2011 and 2010 World Irish Dancing Championships. Consecutive Top Three placements followed a 4th placement in 2009 and 9th placement in 2008 at her very first Worlds as a under 11 competitor. Anna also placed 3rd at the 2011 All Irelands following a 6th placement in 2010 and 5th in 2009.

The Pender-Keady Academy of Irish Dance website says, "Set your sights high, the higher the better. Expect the most wonderful things to happen, not in the future but right now. Realize that nothing is too good. Allow absolutely nothing to hamper you or hold you up in anyway."

With three 2011 North American champions, seven Top Ten and a total of 27 dancers recalling, clearly the Pender-Keady teaching team inspires excellence and the very best in their dance students.

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