Go Feis - The Irish Dance Blog

Sunday, April 8, 2012

World Irish Dancing Championship senior men and ladies top ten results - VIDEO

Michael Holland from Richens/Timm Ohio
wins 2012 Senior Men's World Irish Dancing Championship
Photo Caitlin Holland

To the delight of competitive Irish dance enthusiasts around the world, two favorites claimed the top spot on the podium Saturday in the Senior Ladies' and Senior Men's competitions of the World Irish Dancing Championships! Suzanne Coyle from McLaughlin in Scotland, won her 5th World Champion title and Michael Holland from Richens/Timm in Ohio, who just this year moved up to the Senior Men category, clinched his first World Championship.

Suzanne Coyle
2012 Senior Ladies World Irish Dancing Champion
Photo by Jean Lennon Schuhle

Coyle, a star of Wellpark Productions documentary "Jig" about the 2010 World Irish Dancing Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, beat 153 other entrants in the Senior Ladies competition for the title.

In this event, Open Champion-level Irish dancers from Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, England/Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Russia, Scotland, South Africa and the United States took to the stage. The panel of adjudicators was treated to performances by ladies aged 21 and over, most of whom have been dancing for well over ten years, if not fifteen or more.

--------------

World Champion Irish Dancing School McGing

Jack Quinn Defends World Irish Dancing Champion Title Again

--------------

Holland, who recently placed 3rd at the 2012 All-Ireland Irish Dancing Championships, holds the 2009 All-Ireland Irish Dancing Championship for Men 18-19. He is the oldest of four siblings - Patrick, Caitlin and Rachel, who all dance with Richens/Timm Academy. He started with his young cousins because it was fun, but his teachers, including the late Ann Richens, ADCRG, earmarked him as a World Champion almost right away.

Michael Holland, defending North American Champion
with the late Ann Richens, ADCRG
at the 2011 North American National Irish Dancing Championships
Photo courtesy Richens/Timm

Coyle and Holland entertained the audience of thousands at Belfast's Waterfront Easter Sunday as the Senior team competitions ended the ninth and final day of the World Irish Dancing Championships hosted by An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha.

Congratulations to all of the competitors in the Senior Ladies' and Senior Men events this year, and best wishes for continued success and enjoyment with Irish dancing in your adult lives!

2012 World Irish Dancing Championships

Top 10 Senior Ladies

1-Suzanne Coyle - McLaughlin - Scotland

2-Claire Greaney - Hession - Ireland

3-Simona Mauriello - Maguire-O'Shea - England

4-Emma Warren - Elaine Kavanagh - Ireland

5-Siobhan Casey - Doherty - England/Wales

6-Frances Dunne - Doherty - England/Wales

7-Nicole Donaghy - McLaughlin - Scotland

8-Rebecca Loughran - Doherty - England/Wales

9-Janine Taggart - Doherty - England/Wales

10-Colbee Mifsud - Kennedy - Ireland

Top 10 Senior Men

1-Michael Holland - Richens/Timm - USA

2-Jan Gaca - Ceim Oir - England

3-Daithi Fisher - Doherty - Ireland

4-Benedict Devlin - Maguire O'Shea - England

5-Sam Davies - Ui She - Ireland

6-Jonathon Srour - Broesler - USA

7-Nicholas Andison - Butler-Fearon-O'Connor - Canada

8-Ryan Fox - Doherty - Ireland

9-Conor Kennedy - Kenny - England/Wales

10-Michael Padgett - Doherty - Ireland

Stay tuned for more photos and results from team and solo competitions from the 2012 World Irish Dancing Championships!

Check back here for news, results, photos, interviews and more! Help us celebrate Irish dancing by sharing this story with your friends, like Feis America Magazine on FaceBook, Tweet the link or start a conversation with a comment in the message box below. THANK YOU!

Two North American teams top World Irish Dancing Championships -- top ten results

Cashel-Dennehy School of Irish Dance
2012 World Irish Dancing Girls 13-16 Ceili Champions
Photo courtesy OnTheFeis

Two groups of young ladies aged 16-19 from North America beat out 35 other girls' 8-hand ceili teams for the Top Two positions on the podium at the World Irish Dancing Championships Friday. Eight girls from Cashel-Dennehy School of Irish Dance in Wisconsin were awarded the 2012 World Irish Dancing Championship, and Claddagh Irish Dance Company's team, from California, stepped up just after to accept the 2nd place award. Cashel-Dennehy is also home to the 2010 World Irish Dancing Championship for the under 16 girls' ceili team.

Claddagh Irish Dance Company
2nd place Girls Ceili 13-16
World Irish Dancing Championships
Photo courtesy OnTheFe

Four North American teams were among the nineteen that recalled after the first round of dancing. Groups from Marie Moore Irish Dance in New Jersey and Mulhern School of Irish Dance in Illinois, also put on fine shows for the adjudicators in the second round. Marie Moore ended up in 6th place and Mulhern in 12th.

Mark Mohan, Paul O'Donnell and Liam O'Sullivan
Photo courtesy OnTheFeis

The message boards and Facebook, as well as OnTheFeis was inundated about the fine quality of music all week, and especially during the team competitions. Credit is due Mark Mohan, Paul O'Donnell and Liam O'Sullivan for their expertise and outstanding performances which accompanied the World-qualified teams

2012 World Irish Dancing Championships

Top 10 Ladies (16-19) Ceili Results

1-Cashel-Dennehy - Wisconsin, USA

2-Claddagh - California, USA

3-Kiely-Walsh - Munster Region, Ireland

4-Doherty-Ulster Region, Ireland

5 Carey-Midlands Region, England/Wales

6-Marie Moore - New Jersey, USA

7-Caroline Greene - Scotland

8 - Ceim Oir - Southern Region, England

9 - Mona Ni Rodaigh - Ulster Region, Ireland

10 - Kelly Hendry - North East Region, England

Stay tuned for more photos and results from team and solo competitions from the 2012 World Irish Dancing Championships!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

World Irish Dancing Championships Doherty ladies defending champions - top ten results

Sinead Carson from Doherty
2012 World Irish Dancing Champion Ladies 17-18
Photo Janine Taggart

Sinead Carson and Niamh Taylor from Doherty in Ireland defended their World Irish Dancing Championship titles - and it was not the first time for either of these amazing Irish dancers, who also hold multiple consecutive All-Ireland Irish Dancing Championship titles, including 2012.

Sinead Carson, the 2012 World Irish Dancing Champion for Ladies 17-18, has held her position at the top of the podium since 2009. There were 129 female Irish dancers from 8 countries registered for this year's competition which is taking place all week at Belfast's Waterfront. Carson beat top World qualifiers from Australia, Austria, Canada, England, Hungary, Ireland, Scotland and the United States.

Niamh Taylor with John Lonergan
both are 2012 World and All Ireland Irish Dancing Champions
Photo courtesy John Lonergan

Niamh Taylor, the 2012 World Irish Dancing Champion for Ladies 18-19, who won the Worlds in 2007 and 2008 reclaimed her title in 2011. This is her fourth World Irish Dancing Championship win.

-------------

World Irish Dancing Championship Results Sunday

New England's Melissa McCarthy Clinches World Title

Irish and American Share World Irish Dancing Championship

-------------

2012 World Irish Dancing Championship

Top 10 Ladies 17-18:

1 Sinead Carson Doherty

2 Alana Pearson Ceim Oir

3 Jessie Leach McGahan-Lees

4 Sinead Malone Caroline Greene

5 Kate Kaneko Peter Smith USA

6 Ceili Moore Aisling

7 Olivia Graydon Maguire-O'Shea

8 Kevinah Dargan Rince Na Tiarna USA

9 Catriona O'Neill Doherty

10 Eadaoin McGinley Croghan-Greene

Top 20 Ladies 18-19:

1 Niamh Taylor Doherty

2 Caroline Gray McGahan-Lees

3 Alesandra Doughty McDade-Cara USA

4 Maggie Eileen Doyle Trinity USA

5 Jasmine Withers Kenny

6 Clodagh Roper Domican

7 Lindsay McBride Ni Fhearraigh O'Ceallaigh Eastern Canada

8 Bobbie Trotter Carey

9 Tori Lopez Comerford USA

10 Taylor Kerrane Petri USA

The Doherty School of Irish Dancing was founded in 2001 by Gavin and Seaneen Doherty and has studios and classes in Belfast and Derry in the Ulster Region, Ireland. Since that time, Doherty has experienced tremendous success in international major Irish dancing competitions for both solos and teams.

For up-to-the-moment commentary, visit Feis America on FaceBook! Top 10 results, photos and interviews will be added here on Go Feis! The Irish Dance Blog frequently all week as well.

Check back here for news, results, photos, interviews and more! Help us celebrate Irish dancing by sharing this story with your friends, like us on FaceBook, Tweet the link or start a conversation with a comment in the message box below. THANK YOU!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

New England's Melissa McCarthy from Harney Academy clinches World Irish Dancing Championship

Melissa McCarthy
2012 World Irish Dancing Champion Girls 15-16
Photo: McCarthy Family

Melissa McCarthy climbed to the top of the World Irish Dancing Championship podium Tuesday with the quiet confidence of the young lady who won her first North American National Irish Dancing Championships in 2011! The 15 year-old from Harney Academy in Massachusetts beat 2012 All-Ireland and 2010 and 2011 World Irish Dancing Champion Ann Paige Turilli from New York in the Girls 15-16 competition at Belfast's Waterfront. McCarthy is also an eight-time New England Regional Irish Dancing Champion, having competed twice in the under 8 event.

Turilli, the 2012 All-Ireland and 2010 and 2011 World Irish Dancing Champion, placed second. Mackenzie Mahler, from the Blakey School in Western Canada rounded out the Top Three. So far, this is the only competition at Worlds that has seen three North Americans in the Top Three!

Melissa McCarthy, 2011 North American Irish Dancing Champion
with friends Tayler Nunes and Grace Schiller from Harney Academy.
Photo Feis America LLC

Liam Harney, TCRG, ADCRG, was overjoyed with his Irish dance student's win and to the delight of his friends and fans, performed a little victory dance on stage. Harney himself is a two-time World Irish Dancing Champion, having won the Junior Men's event in 1984 and the Senior Men's event in 1987.

Harney said, "I always knew I would be happy to have a student win the Worlds but I had no idea that I would be this happy. I have been hit with a wave of proud and happy emotions that seem to be with me each day when I wake up! It's true, she did it! Melissa actually did it! She's a World Champion!"

World Champion teacher and student!
Melissa McCarthy with Liam Harney, TCRG/ADCRG
Photo: McCarthy Family

According to Harney Academy, "It is Liam's dynamic style and positive attitude that has propelled the students of the Academy into world-class distinction. His personal commitment and spirited personality invigorate and fuel the schools' dance programs. His skills as a choreographer coupled with his extensive performing arts background transcend the school and immerse students [with] progressive and traditional dance numbers."

------------

Brogan McCay defends World Irish Dancing Championship title

Feising in the Desert with the Bracken School

Irish Dancers Cross Train with Ballet

------------

Melissa McCarthy is grateful to her teachers Liam and Sally Harney, with whom she has been dancing since age four. She says, ""It was just so amazing and I couldn't have done it without the help and support of my teachers and friends! I was so glad to be up there with my two other North American girls... all the girls up there are amazing!"

Stay tuned for the next installment... more articles and results every day here on Go Feis! The Irish Dance Blog! Follow daily commentary on Feis America's Facebook page for up to the moment World Irish Dancing Championships results and progress.

World Irish Dancing Championships Quinn Defends Title Top 10 Boys 13-14 Results

Defending World Irish Dancing Champion Jack Quinn
with #2 Owen Luebbers and #3 Jordan McCormack
photo Alannah Lynch

At the World Irish Dancing Championships hosted by An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha in Belfast this week, the Top Three Boys 13-14 confirmed that they belong on the box with three spectacular rounds of Irish dancing before a panel of seven international adjudicators. The Worlds stage is not new to any of them, and their competitive records speak for themselves.

The Top 10 in this competition included exceptional competitors from Australia, England, Ireland and the United States of America. Coincidentally, four of the Top Ten are named a variation of Conor!

----------------
Read more:

Irish and American share World Irish Dancing Championship title

"Jig"'s John Whitehurst reclaims World Irish Dancing Championship

John Lonergan clinches 5th All-Ireland Irish Dancing Championship
----------------

Jack Quinn from Scoile Rince Uí Shé in County Leicester, Ireland claimed his third consecutive World Irish Dancing Championship Monday in the Boys 13-14 event. Quinn also holds the All-Ireland Irish Dancing Championship for his age group since 2010 and the Oireachtas Rince Laighin regional title. He won the Great Britain Irish Dancing Championship in 2011.

Owen Luebbers from the Broesler School of Irish Dance in New Jersey, placed second, and is the current North American National Irish Dancing Champion for Boys under 13, having won every year since 2009. Luebbers also is a six-time mid-Atlantic regional champion.

Jordan McCormick, who placed third, is from Lambe Academy of Irish Dance in County Connaught, Ireland. McCormick consistently places second after Quinn at both of these major Irish dancing championship events, having won the All-Ireland title in 2009. McCormick is also the Oireachtas Rince Chonnact regional champion.

2012 World Irish Dancing Championships
Boys 13-14 Awards
Photo Rhiannon Gilvarry

Top 10 Results for Boys 13-14

2012 World Irish Dancing Championships

Champion Jack Quinn - Uí Shé, Leicester, Ireland

2 - Owen Luebbers - Broesler, New Jersey, USA

3 - Jordan McCormick - Lambe, Connaught, Ireland

4 - Curtis Long - Doherty, Ulster, Ireland

5 - Nathan McGhee - Coleman, Connaught, Ireland

6 - Conor Norton - Aaron Crosbie, Southern England

7 - Conor Reagan - Inishfree, New York, USA

8 - Conor Rodgers - Doherty, Ulster, Ireland

9 - Connor Patrick Sullivan - Petri, New York, USA

10 - Jonty Moore - Aisling, New South Wales, Australia

For up-to-the-moment commentary, visit Feis America on FaceBook! Top 10 results, photos and interviews will be added here on Go Feis! The Irish Dance Blog frequently all week as well.

Check back here for news, results, photos, interviews and more! Help us celebrate Irish dancing by sharing this story with your friends, like us on FaceBook, Tweet the link or start a conversation with a comment in the message box below. THANK YOU!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Michaela Hinds Clinches Fourth World Irish Dancing Championship Title

Teachers from Butler-Fearon-O'Connor School of Irish Dance
poses with 4-time World champion Michaela Marie Hinds.
Photo: Mackenzie Goggin-Wade

Michaela Hinds, who dances with the Butler-Fearon-O'Connor School of Irish Dance in Eastern Canada won the 2012 World Irish Dancing Championship for Girls 16-17 Wednesday with a perfect score of 800. Hinds now holds the distinction of being the only North American to have won four consecutive World Irish Dancing Championship titles.

Four-time World Irish Dancing Champion Michaela Marie Hinds
from Butler-Fearon-O'Connor Eastern Canada
Photo: MacKenzie Goggin-Wade

Hinds, whose trophy collection includes the North American National Irish Dancing Championship, the All-Scotland Irish Dancing Championship, the All-Ireland Irish Dancing Championship and the Great Britain Irish Dancing Championship, is also a seven-time Eastern Canadian Regional Irish Dancing Champion.

------------
Read more:

North American dancers clean up at All-Ireland Irish Dancing Champs

Canada: 2 regions and 52 regional Irish dancing champions

North American National Irish Dancing Championship 2011
------------

Cathy Hinds, proud mother of Michaela Marie Hinds, shares the stage in Belfast.
Photo Mackenzie Goggin-Wade

Hinds started competing at Irish dancing in 2003. Practicing at the dance studio in Brampton, Ontario and at home up to forty hours a week, Hinds is also an exemplary high school student. The trip to Belfast this year is a return home to her mother Cathy's birthplace.

Michaela Marie Hinds with Sarah Campeau
Photo: Catie Clancy Ortiz

Michaela enjoys teaching jigs, reels and hornpipes to other students at Butler-Fearon-O'Connor and serves as a role model to many of the younger dancers. Surrounded by friends, including some of the girls with whom she has been competing against all these years, Hinds beams and looks forward to celebrating back at home with the friends there.

Michaela with friends Laura Pastor, Claire Gallibois,
Justine Bongers and Mackenzie Goggin-Wade in Belfast.
Photo courtesy Mackenzie Goggin-Wade

Hinds also has an ultimate fan in Mitchell Ferris, who posted on her Facebook page after awards: "With a perfect score for a perfect girl, I am so happy to be able to share this with her in Belfast".

Stay tuned for the next installment... more articles and results every day here on Go Feis! The Irish Dance Blog! Follow daily commentary on Feis America's Facebook page for up to the moment World Irish Dancing Championships results and progress.

Check back here for news, results, photos, interviews and more! Help us celebrate Irish dancing by sharing this story with your friends, like Feis America Magazine on FaceBook, Tweet the link or start a conversation with a comment in the message box below. THANK YOU!

Brogan McCay from "Jig" Defends World Irish Dancing Championship

Brogan McCay brings home the gold again
from the 2012 World Irish Dancing Championships!
Photo Dance.Net

The 42nd World Irish Dancing Championships, hosted by An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha, started March 31st and runs through Easter Sunday, April 8th. An estimated 25,000 competitors, teachers and fans of Irish dancing have enjoyed four days of solo and team competitions thus far. Monday's competitions included Boys 12-13 and Girls 12-13, to the delight of thousands in attendance at Belfast's Waterfront Hall.

--------------------

"Jig"'s John Whitehurst reclaims World Championship title Boys 12-13

Win Tickets to Riverdance's Final Performance on Irish Central

---------------------

Brogan, who dances with Scoil Rince McConomy Bradley in Derry, Ireland, defended her 2011 World Irish Dancing Championship title Monday in the Girls 12-13 competition. The Worlds title is the capstone in a streak of wins for McCay in 2011 which includes the British National Irish Dancing Championship and All-Scotland Irish Dancing Championship titles.

Brogan McCay, Girls under 12
2011 All-Scotland Irish Dancing Champion
Photo courtesy Claymaker52

Brogan McCay swept Irish dance enthusiasts around the world off their feet in Sue Bourne's highly-acclaimed documentary "Jig" with these few words: "My name is Brogan McCay and I'm ten years old and I'll be going to the Worlds for the very first time". For the first time ever, the public is given a glimpse into the journey to what is virtually the Olympics of Irish dancing through the eyes of champions like McCay and her friendly-rival, Julia O'Rourke from the Petri School in New York. In the film, O'Rourke wins the 2010 World Irish Dancing Championship title with McCay taking second place.

Brogan McCay starred in "Jig" the documentary film about the 2010 World Irish Dancing Championships.
Photo:Wellpark Productions

Brogan McKay said, "I love my teachers from Scoil Rince McConomy Bradley!"

And suffice it to say, they surely love Brogan too!

For up-to-the-moment commentary, visit Feis America on FaceBook! Top 10 results, photos and interviews will be added here on Go Feis! The Irish Dance Blog frequently all week as well.