last updated 12 May 2008
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Set Dancing News

Workshops and ceilis in North America

Copyright © 2008 Bill Lynch
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Workshops and ceilis in North America

Frost Center, 4915 Aspen Hill Road, Rockville, Maryland

15 May 2008, 7-9.30pm

A mini-ceili with live music by Tina Eck and friends. Contact Dixie Baker and Paul O'Donnell.

Future dates: 19 June, 17 July, 21 August, 18 September, 16 October, 14 November 2008

Matt Cunningham's USA Tour

15-25 May 2008

Matt Cunningham plays for ceilis in all of the following locations during his USA tour -

15 May 2008    Gaelic League, 2068 Michigan Ave, Detroit, Michigan 
16 May 2008  8pm-12am  St Clarence Church, 30106 Lorain Road, North Olmsted, Ohio  Tim Freeman, Kelly Jones, Anna Costanzo
17 May 2008    East Pittsburgh VFW Post 5008, 401 Draper Street, East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 
18 May 2008  4-9pm, $17  Cherry Hill Park Conference Center, 9800 Cherry Hill Road, College Park, Maryland  Dixie Baker, Paul O'Donnell
19 May 2008  7.30pm, $15  Knights of Columbus Hall, 230 Limekiln Pike, Glenside, Pennsylvania  Marianne MacDonald, Rosemarie Timoney
20 May 2008  7.30pm, $10  Canadian-American Hall, 202 Arlington Street, Watertown, Boston, Massachusetts  Barbara Davis
22 May 2008    Boston, Massachusetts 
23 May 2008    Irish Cultural Centre, 200 Boston Drive, Canton, Boston, Massachusetts 
24 May 2008    Kerry Society Hall, 305 McLean Avenue, Yonkers, New York  Tom Keaveney
25 May 2008    Irish American Community Center, 9 Venice Place, East Haven, Connecticut 

Contact Matt or the contacts listed above for more information.

Irish Cultural Center, 1106 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona

16 May 2008, 7-9pm, $6

The ceili on the second and third Fridays of the month features live music and calling by Anne Daugherty. Contact Mary Moriarty.

More dancing: 13 June, 20 June, 11 July, 18 July, 8 August, 15 August, 12 September, 19 September, 10 October, 17 October, 14 November, 21 November, 12 December, 19 December 2008

Pearl River Ceili Group, Clarkstown Reformed Church Hall, 107 Strawtown Road, West Nyack, New York

16 May 2008  Green Gates Ceili Band
20 June 2008  Pete Kelly

Live music ceilis from 8pm to 12am, with calling by Jerry Kennedy. Contact Dan Dennehy.

Portland Ceili Society, Portland Police Athletic Association, 618 SE Alder Street, Portland, Oregon

16 May 2008, 8pm

Live music is played by local musicians for ceili dancing at this popular monthly dance. At 8pm there's an hour-long lesson; live music begins at 9pm. Contact Maldon Meehan.

Craobh Úll Mór Ceilis, New York Irish Center, 1040 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, New York

17 May 2008, 7pm, $20

Ceol na gCroí play for these monthly ceilis. There's a review of a set in the first hour with live music from 8pm. Contact Maureen Donachietea served

More dancing: 21 June, 20 September, 25 October, 22 November, 27 December 2008

Bayou Coffee House and Cafe, 326 North Jefferson Davis Parkway, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70119

17 May 2008, 7-10pm, free

Ceili. Contact Noel Reid.

McGinnity's Restaurant and Party House, 534 West Ridge Road, Rochester, New York

17 May 2008, 8pm-12am

The evening starts with a workshop in the first hour, followed by set dancing with music by local Comhaltas members. Contact Brendan and Mary Tunneytea served

J Patrick's Pub, 1371 Andre Street, Locust Point, Baltimore, Maryland

18 May 2008, 4.30-8.30pm

They dance at the back of the pub to live music provided by J Patrick's All-Stars led by Billy McComiskey. The sets are called by Marilyn Moore. After the ceili live music continues until midnight. Contact J Patrick's.

More dancing: 15 June, 13 July, 10 August, 14 September, 12 October, 9 November, 14 December 2008

New Castle County Irish Society, 1301 South Rodney Street, Wilmington, Delaware

18 May 2008, 2-6pm, $13

Monthly dances with ceili dancing and two or three sets danced to music by Pancho, Kevin and Jimmy McGillian. Contact Bud Burketea served

Also on: 12 October, 16 November, 14 December 2008

Fenian's Irish Pub, 901 East Fortification Street, Jackson, Mississippi

18 May 2008, 1.30-5pm, $12

Máirtín de Cógáin from Carrigaline, Co Cork, teaches a ninety-minute workshop in the West Kerry Set, followed by the regular monthly ceili. Máirtín also performs in concert that night. Contact Margaret Cupples and Catherine Sherer Bishop.

Future ceilis: 22 June, 3 August 2008

Greater Washington Ceili Club, Cherry Hill Park Conference Center, 9800 Cherry Hill Road, College Park, Maryland

18 May 2008, 4-9pm, $15

Sunday afternoon ceili with Matt Cunningham on tour from Ireland. There's a workshop in the first hour, followed by live music dancing. There's a potluck supper in the break so bring food to share. Contact Dixie Baker and Paul O'Donnelltea served

Mike Rafferty Ceili, VFW Hall, 239 Leonia Avenue, Bogota, New Jersey

18 May 2008, 3-8pm, $12

Comhaltas ceilis on the third Sunday feature music by Eileen Clune Goodman, John and Gerry Kennedy, Mike Rafferty and guests. There's a dancing lesson by Bridie and John DalPizzol in the first hour. Contact Mike and Terry Raffertytea served

Ceol Traidisiúnta na hÉireann, Hibernian Hall, 151 Watertown Street, Watertown, Boston, Massachusetts

18 May 2008, 4-8pm

Monthly live music ceili, preceded a slow sesson from 2.30pm. Contact Frank Banetea served

Chicago Gaelic Park, 6119 West 147th Street, Oak Forest, Illinois

22-26 May 2008

The Four Provinces Ceili Band and the visiting musicians for this long Irish weekend at Gaelic Park. On Thursday there's a set dancing ceili at 9pm. Contact Brendan Houlihantea served

The rest of the weekend from Friday to Monday is the Gaelic Park Irish Fest where the band plays daily on the Marquee Stage for ceili dancing, admission $15 daily. Contact Chicago Gaelic Park.

St Brendan's Ceili, Bergen Irish Cultural Center, 41 Omaha Street, Dumont, New Jersey, 07628

23 May 2008, 8pm-12am, $15

The Green Gates Ceili Band plays for a charity ceili on the fourth Friday of every month, now in a new location. Contact Eileen O'Flaherty.

More dates: 27 June, 25 July, 22 August, 26 September, 28 November, 26 December 2008

Knights of Columbus Hall, 1111 West 35th Street, Davenport, Iowa

23 May 2008  7.30-10.30pm  Quad City Ceili Band
15 June 2008  2-5pm  recorded music
26 September 2008  8-11pm  recorded music
24 October 2008  8-11pm  recorded music
29 November 2008  7.30-10.30pm  live music

Ceili, set and two-hand dancing with calling. Contact Gerry Bade.

Commodore Barry Club, 6815 Emlyn Street, Carpenter Lane, West Mount Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

23 May 2008, 7pm, $10

The monthly fourth Friday ceili begins with a workshop in the first hour then from 8pm there's live music by either John Brennan or Kevin McGillian plus friends. Contact John Shields, Cass Tinney and Tom O'Malleytea served

More dancing: 27 June 2008

Traditional Irish Dancers Ceilis, Latvian House, 491 College Street, Toronto, Ontario

23 May 2008, 8pm-12am

Live music ceili in a venue with an authentic dance hall atmosphere. Contact Maureen Mulvey-O'Leary, who calls the dances.

Northwest Folklife Festival, Seattle, Washington

24-26 May 2008

There's a bit of Irish in the midst of all the contra dancing at this festival. Sam Keator teaches ceili dancing on Saturday, 4-5pm. Maldon Meehan introduces sean nós dancing from 6 to 7pm on Saturday and performs twice on Sunday. There's also set dancing on Monday, 1-2m, with representatives from the local branch of Comhaltas.

Milwaukee Set Dance Club, Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

24 May 2008  Áthas
28 June 2008  Maria Terres and friends
26 July 2008  RíRá
27 September 2008  Áthas
25 October 2008  Asher Gray and Randy Gosa
22 November 2008  Maria Terres and friends
27 December 2008  T J Hull and friends

The set of the month is taught from 7 to 8pm, which is followed by dancing to live music till 11pm, $8. Contact Pat McElroy-Komppatea served

Irish American Association of Northwest Jersey Cultural Center, 350 Richard Mine Road, Wharton, Rockaway Township, New Jersey

25 May 2008, 3-8pm

A lesson is held in the first hour before the live music begins. Contact Jack Regan and Irish American Association Cultural Centertea served

Kevin Barry Irish Club, Lomala Civic Center, Route 82, Fishkill, New York

25 May 2008, 2.30-6.30pm

Ceili and sets with the Rosclare Ceili Band. Contact Bridgie Higgins.

Next ceili: 22 June 2008

Toronto Reel Blast, Church Hall, Christ Our Saviour Cathedral, 823 Manning Avenue, Toronto, Ontario

30 May-1 June 2008, $85

Mick Mulkerrin takes over the teaching for the first time at Toronto's fourth annual set dancing weekend. The first of the three ceilis is on Friday night, 8.30pm-12am, with the Inishowen Ceili Band. Mick teaches on Saturday from 10am to 4.30pm at Dovercourt House, 805 Dovercourt Road (the only event at this location). Music for the Saturday ceili is by Celtic Ceili Crew who play from 8pm to 12am. Mick shares more of his expertise on Sunday from 1.30 to 2.30pm, and the final ceili continues to 5.30pm with the Cabbagetown Ceili Band. Contact Jennifer Hiett.

Irish Arts Center Ceili and Picnic, Alpine Boat Basin, Alpine, New Jersey

1 June 2008, 3-6pm

An open air pavilion beside the Hudson River is the venue for this set dancing ceili and picnic with live music. Contact the Irish Arts Center.

La na Gaeilge 2008, Marylhurst University, 17600 Pacific Highway, Marylhurst, Oregon, 97036-0261

31 May 2008, 9am-5pm

An all day sean nós dancing workshop with Maldon Meehan.

Ceili Society of the Valley, VFW Hall Post 661, 630 Hood Street NE, Salem, Oregon

6 June 2008, 8-11pm, $10

Ceili dancing with live music plus teaching and calling by Maldon Meehan. Contact Susan Spencer.

Hope Ceilis, Kerry Society Hall, 305 McLean Avenue, Yonkers, New York

6 June 2008, 8pm

Pride of Moyvane Ceili Band plays for this monthly ceili. Contact Tom Keaveney.

Knights of Columbus Hall, Broad and Elm Streets, Palmyra, New Jersey

6 June 2008, 8pm-12am, $9

A monthly hooley (sets, ceili, waltzes and quicksteps) with music by Pancho, Kevin and Jimmy. Contact Anna Hickman.

American Legion Post 1812, 115 Southern Parkway, Plainview, New York

7 June 2008, 8pm-12am, $15

Dancing in the first Saturday of the month. Contact John Brodericktea served

Mulvihill CCÉ Ceili, VFW Hall, 140 Bond Drive, Union, New Jersey

8 June 2008, 4-8pm

Contact Tom Vesey.

First Christian Church Fellowship Hall, Walnut Street, Tenth Street, Columbia, Missouri

13 June 2008, 7-10pm, $5

The evening starts with a half-hour of beginners' instruction, followed by live music by local musicians, mostly ceili dancing but a few sets are danced. Contact Kate Akers.

Future dates: 11 July, 8 August, 12 September, 11 October, 14 November, 12 December 2008

Ardor Pub and Grill, 607 North Broadway, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

13 June 2008, 9pm-12am

Live music dance session with music by Áthas. Contact Joanna Dupuis and Jeff Ksiazek.

More dancing: 11 July, 8 August, 12 September, 10 October, 14 November, 12 December 2008

Cleveland Ceili Club, St Clarence Church, 30106 Lorain Road, North Olmsted, Ohio

13 June 2008, 8pm-12am, $10

A monthly ceili on the second Friday of the month. Turn the Corner provides the music. Contact Kelly Jones and Anna Costanzo.

Future dates: 12 September, 10 October, 14 November, 12 December 2008

Irish Cultural Center, 1106 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona

14 June 2008, 1.30-3.30pm, $16

A monthly ceili dancing workshop with Anne Daughtery. Contact Mary Moriarty.

More dancing: 12 July, 9 August, 13 September, 11 October, 15 November, 13 December 2008

Move Studio, Suite 108, Preston Campbell Center, 17062 Preston Road, Dallas, Texas

14 June 2008, 7-9pm, $7

Monthly workshop-style ceilis with music by Mimi Rogers and friends. Contact Michael and Susan Harrisontea served

Deutsches-Haus, 200 South Galvez Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70119

14 June 2008, 8-11pm, free

Ceili. Contact Noel Reid.

St Finbarr's Ceili, Bryn Mahr Church, 20 Buckingham Road, Yonkers, New York

14 June 2008

Dancing from 8pm. Contact Kathleen Collins.

Grange Hall, Vashon Island, Washington

21 June 2008, 7pm, $8

Monthly ceili dancing with live music by Gold Ring.The hall is in a parking lot a short walk from the pier where the ferry from Seattle arrives; the crossing takes fifteen minutes. Contact Michael and Shannon Meyer and Lori Malczyk.

Catskills Irish Arts Week, Michael J Quill Irish Cultural and Sports Center, East Durham, New York

13-19 July 2008, $375

The Irish Arts Week brings the Irish summer school experience to the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. A mixture of Irish and American teachers offer music classes in traditional instruments and dance classes cover set, sean nós, trad step, modern step and Cape Breton dancing. You can also learn crafts and there's even a workshop to keep children busy while parents attend their own classes.

The summer school is based in the Michael J Quill Irish Cultural and Sports Center situated near the village of East Durham, about 135 miles north of New York City. The 108-acre grounds have sports fields, historic Irish cottages and American houses, a huge map of Ireland paved in brick and a pavilion. Events are also held in various establishments in the surrounding area.

Classes run from Monday to Friday, 14-18 July, morning and afternoon. Set dancing is taught by Patrick O'Dea each morning from 10am to 12.30pm. Timmy McCarthy teaches his unique selection of Cork and Kerry sets afternoons from 1.30 to 3.30pm. Patrick also teaches an afternoon class of trad steps, 2-3pm, while Kieran Jordan from Boston teaches sean nós steps in the morning and Cape Breton steps in the afternoon.

For evening entertainment, there are plenty of sessions organised in the pubs and nightly two-hour concerts. Ceilis operate Monday to Saturday, 9pm to 12am, in Shamrock House, 2388 State Route 145 with music by many of the week's teachers. Weldon House, 2119 State Route 145, also holds a ceili from 7.30 to 10.30pm on Friday night. The week finishes with the Andy McCann Irish Traditional Music Festival on Saturday, 19 July, remembering the fiddler who died at the 2007 Arts Week. Dancing is held in the center's pavilion during the day.

The Catskills is a beautiful area of mountains and forests which has long been a popular wilderness vacation destination. East Durham is adjacent to Catskill Park, a vast state park covering parts of four counties, with 98 mountains over 3,000 feet high.

The registration price shown above is for a full week of morning and afternoon classes. A week of either morning or afternoon classes is $275. Registration can be done via the summer school web site, www.east-durham.org, or by contacting the Michael J Quill Irish Cultural and Sports Center. A list of local accommodation is available on the website. For more information contact Paul Keating.

Irish Week, Augusta Heritage Center, Davis and Elkins College, Elkins, West Virginia

20-25 July 2008, $440

The Augusta Heritage Centre promotes traditional music, dance and other skills at week-long summer schools and other festivals throughout the year. The specialised summer schools include weeks dedicated to Cajun, blues, bluegrass and of course Irish; this is the 27th annual Irish Week. Activities are based on a college campus in the small town of Elkins, which is in a scenic area beside the Appalachian Mountains and the Monongahela National Forest.

The summer school includes tuition in a range of instruments, modern-style and Canadian step dancing, and set dancing. Timmy McCarthy will introduce workshop participants to the delights of Sliabh Luachra music and dance. Classes run from Monday to Friday in morning and afternoon sessions, 10am-12pm and 2.30-4.30pm. The workshops occupy a roofed pavilion which is otherwise open to the fresh air of the wooded setting. Over the lunch break there are performances and demonstrations and for more dancing there are nightly ceilis led by Jim Keenan.

The price shown above is for the week of set dancing classes; accommodation and full board is available on campus for $347. Off-campus accommodation and full details of the week are listed on the Augusta web site, www.augustaheritage.com, or contact the Augusta Heritage Center.

Greater Hartford Irish Festival, Irish American Home Society, 132 Commerce Street, Glastonbury, Connecticut

25-27 July 2008, $10 daily

Contact John Droney.

Dublin Irish Festival and Academy, Coffman Park, 5600 Post Road, Dublin, Ohio

30 July-3 August 2008

A festival in a town named after the Irish capital located a few miles northwest of Columbus. Among the several stages on the grounds is the tented Ceili Dance Tent which offers set and ceili dancing throughout Friday and Saturday. Dance master Jim Keenan teaches fifty-minute workshops at 1pm, 3.30pm and 8pm on Saturday and 1.30pm on Sunday. There are also fifty-minute ceilis at 4pm and 9pm on Saturday and at 2.30pm and 6pm on Sunday with music by the Cape May Ceili Band and calling by Jim.

The Dublin Festival Academy is an evening summer school on Wednesday and Thursday, 30-31 July. Jim teaches sets from 6.30 to 8.30pm both evenings in the Dublin Community Recreation Center.

Contact Dublin Irish Festival.

Future dates: 31 July-2 August 2009, 6-8 August 2010

Lark Camp, Mendocino Woodlands, Mendocino, California

1-9 August 2008, $570

This long running summer camp offers an international selection of music and dance classes and sessions held in the Mendocino Woodlands, a redwood forest park. Set dancing workshops are included for an hour a day taught by Janis Reynolds. At night there are two set dancing ceilis. Price includes entertainment and on-site accommodation in cabins, tents or vehicles; full board is $250 additional. Advance registration is necessary as the camp sells out early. More details are on the internet at www.larkcamp.com or contact the Mickie and Beth Zeckley.

Michael Servetus Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 4505 East 18th Street, Vancouver, Washington

2 August 2008, 7.30-10pm, $7

Live music ceili dancing.

Celtic College and Celtic Roots Festival, Lion's Harbour Park, 168 West Street, Goderich, Ontario

4-10 August 2008, $365

This summer school and festival takes place in the town of Goderich which lies on Lake Huron between Detroit and Toronto. The summer school lasts for four days, Monday to Thursday, with four classes per day in a wide range of subjects. Maureen Mulvey-O'Leary teaches three eighty-minute classes each day in the East Gym—set dancing at 9am, ceili dancing at 10.40am and step dancing at 3.10pm. The week opens with a ceili at 8.30pm on Sunday 6 August in the Livery Theatre, 35 South Street. During the week there's ceili dancing each evening in the Gazebo in the Square. The price shown includes tuition and festival admission. Contact Celtic Roots Festival.

Irish Fair of Minnesota, Harriet Island Regional Park, 157 Water Street West, St Paul, Minnesota

8-10 August 2008, free

Minnesota's Irish Fair takes place in a park beside the Mississippi River with the skyscrapers of St Paul in the background beyond. One of many tents on the site is devoted to Irish social dance - sets, ceili and sean nós. Workshops are held throughout the day and ceilis in the evening. Contact the Karen Cieminski, Tim McAndrew and Irish Fair of Minnesota.

Milwaukee Irish Fest and Summer School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

10-17 August 2008

The largest Irish festival in America is the Irish Fest of Milwaukee, a large city facing Lake Michigan about 90 miles north of Chicago. Over 100,000 visitors attend the four day festival to see a wide variety of entertainment, shop in specialist markets, visit exhibitions and just eat, drink and be merry. Adjacent to the city centre along a half mile of the lake shore is a dedicated fairground site which is home to the Fest. A modest daily entry fee gives full access to all entertainment, from pure trad to hard rock and anything in between, on up to a dozen different stages at once. Some are outdoors in the open air and seat thousands for the top bands; other stages are under cover for more intimate entertainment.

If you're looking for dancing, there's plenty of it to be found here, nearly nonstop during the whole of the Fest opening hours. On Thursday from 5 to 10pm the grounds are only partially open, and dancing is at the Tipperary Stage on an asphalt surface. But for all of the rest of the Fest - 4pm-12am on Friday, 12pm-12am on Saturday and 11am-10pm on Sunday - ceilis are at the Lakefront Dance Pavilion. This has a raised plywood floor for dancing, a roof overhead to keep you dry in a thunderstorm and otherwise little to prevent the lake breezes from cooling you down. One band will play for set dancing for ninety minutes or two hours, and then the next band takes over for ceili dancing. With half a dozen bands alternating between sets and ceili you can dance sets for as many as six hours a day - if you like ceili dancing as well you can double those hours. In practice there's little overlap among set and ceili dancers. When ceili dancing begins, the set dancers drift away to see the rest of the festival, and vice versa. Headlining the music this year is the Kilfenora Ceili Band, and a mixture of Milwaukee groups such as RíRá, Ceol Cairde and Athás fill out most of the schedule.

There's another highly recommended stage with good music and occasional dancing. The Gaeltacht stage is an intimate little tent dedicated to performances by musicians including (for the past few years at least) Johnny Connolly, singers and dancers from Irish-speaking parts of Ireland. It's a genuine slice of home with superb music, song, stories and steps conducted in both Irish and English. There's a tiny wooden platform only big enough for a set whenever the musicians and set dancers are suitably inspired. It's a perfect place to visit during the ceili dancing interludes at the dance pavilion. The only other opportunity to dance takes place in an outdoor basketball court where introductory set and ceili dancing lessons are offered to the public.

All the day's dancing is covered by the general festival admission charge - $5 on the first day, Thursday 16 August, free between 4 and 5pm on Friday and $12 daily after that (last year's prices). Of course admission includes all the other stages and performances on offer throughout the day, so at around a dollar an hour, it's superb value. There are no additional charges for entertainment, though you're never more than a few paces away from opportunities to eat, drink and spend money. You'll find dog shows, tug of war, curragh races, marching bands, theatre, a cable car, market stalls and much more. At the close on Sunday night the dancing finishes in time for a fireworks display on the lake, and then everyone gathers at one of the big stages for a final blast of music and a sentimental singalong.

There's one additional set dancing event during the Fest which is not to be missed, though it's not part of the Fest. The local set dancing club holds a late night ceili on Friday 15 August at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Centre, 2133 West Wisconsin Avenue. It begins around midnight, which leaves enough time to travel here across town after the last set of the night at the Fest, and finishes up in the wee hours of the morning. The musicians are Fest headliners borrowed for the night, and the good music, dancers, floor, food and atmosphere make it special.

As if all of that wasn't enough, the Fest also offers a four-day summer school from Monday to Thursday, 11 to 14 August, with classes in dance, music and other aspects of Irish culture. The Milwaukee School of Engineering, 1085 North Broadway, is the new summer school venue, located in the city centre about six blocks north and west of the festival site, about a mile away. Tony Ryan teaches two set dancing classes daily, afternoon and evening. In another class, Gail McElroy gives an introduction to set, ceili and country dancing, and a class in sean nós dancing by Máire Áine Ní Iarnáin. An opening reception on Sunday evening, 10 August, introduces all the teachers to all the students, and it's followed by a session with dancing. After the evening set dancing classes, everyone usually meets in a restaurant for a session with dancing.

Advance summer school registration is encouraged though you can do it at the opening reception. On campus student housing is available for a full week, covering both the summer school and Fest. If you prefer a hotel be sure to book it early. For more information, visit the Irish Fest web site at www.irishfest.com or contact Jane Anderson regarding the Fest and Jane Walrath for questions about the summer school.

Future festivals: 13-16 August 2009, 19-22 August 2010, 18-21 August 2011

An Damsha Dance Show, Friendly House, 2617 NW Savier Street, Portland, Oregon, 97210

6 September 2008, 6pm

A performance of sean nós dancing by Maldon Meehan, Alicia Guinn, Shannon Dunne and Kieran Jordan. Music is provided by Johnny Connolly, Hanz Araki, Cary Novotny and Dave Cory.

O'Neill-Malcom CCÉ Festival, Van Dyck Park, 3730 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030

27 September 2008, 12-6pm, free

A day of music and dance on three outdoor stages. Contact Kendra Swann, Jesse Winch and Larry Frank.

Connie Ryan Memorial Weekend, Cape May, New Jersey

3-5 October 2008

A weekend of dancing in the beautiful, old fashioned seaside resort town of Cape May. Pádraig and Róisín McEneany are visiting from Ireland to teach the workshops and call the sets. East coast musicians play for ceilis on Friday and Saturday nights. Pádraig and Róisín teach on Saturday morning and afternoon and Sunday morning. Contact Linda Fitzpatrick.

Emerald Isle Club, American Legion Hall 22, 125 York Road, Towson, Maryland

4 October 2008, 7.30pm-12am, $13

Dancing starts with a lesson by Marilyn Moore, then J Patrick's All Stars led by Peter Fitzgerald begin playing at 8pm for ceili dances and a few sets. Local step dancing schools perform in the break. The admission charge includes beer, soft drinks and snacks; bring dessert to share. Contact Judy Kondnertea served

Future dates: 1 November, 6 December 2008

#1 Irish Weekend, Fallsview Resort and Spa, 1195 Nevele Road, Ellenville, New York

31 October-2 November 2008

Upstate New York's Catskills Mountains make a beautiful setting for this weekend packed with music and dance. Three ceili bands, Micheál Sexton and Pat Walsh, the Lough Ree Ceili Band and Pete Kelly, play in rotation throughout the weekend. On Saturday morning Gerard Butler teaches a workshop, and in total there are more than twenty hours of dancing from 4pm Friday to 4pm Sunday. The venue is a resort in the Catskill Mountains outside the little town of Ellenville about two hours from New York City. The package includes all entertainment, meals and accommodation. Contact Gertrude Byrne.

Irish Charter Cruise, Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

31 January-7 February 2009, $1497-2797

This popular cruise of the Caribbean offers entertainment by a host of Irish performers, including Micheál Sexton and Pat Walsh and the Lough Ree Ceili Band. Gerard Butler is coming along to teach dance workshops. The itinerary starts and finishes in Fort Lauderdale, making stops on Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands; San Juan, Puerto Rico; St Criox, Virgin Islands; and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. Per-person price shown varies with room type and includes shared accommodation, meals, entertainment, port charges and taxes; book by 1 June 2008 to save $200. Contact Gertrude Byrne.

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Bill Lynch   Set Dancing News, Kilfenora, Co Clare, Ireland
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