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  Dancing competitionsThroughout the 1960s and 70s the Fleadh grew so large that the number of would-be competitors had to attend at qualifying stages at county and provincial level. Branches of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann sprang up all over Ireland, organising classes, concerts and sessions at local level. Soon there were County and Provincial Fleadhanna and later came the Fleadh Nua, (New Festival), the Tionól Cheoil Seisiún (Musical Gathering Session) and Scoil Éigse (School of Learning). In recent years the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireannn has been held in Ballina, Listowel, Buncrana, Ennis and Kilkenny, and has been attended by up to 100,000 visitors for the three day event. Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann provides a number of cultural facilities at their headquarters at Monkstown County Dublin, from teaching dancing and music to staging regular shows and céilís to informal sessions.The Gaelic Athletic Association, through an organisation called Scor, which means "large gathering" in Irish, also runs Irish dancing and music sessions at various venues around the country, particularly during the summer months. The Scor competition started in the late 1960s when the GAA initiated cultural activities in the off-season to encourage club members to enjoy other aspects of Irish culture. A programme was devised in north Cork which included figure dancing and later sets. From here it developed into a prestigious competition with All-Ireland finals which were televised. Also in 1969, Gael Linn, believing that a void existed in certain areas of competitive native Irish musical activities, launched Slógadh. Its purpose was to give young people an opportunity to develop and display their musical, dancing and dramatic talents through the medium of Irish. Its first National Final was held in Dublin in 1969 with 1,500 participants. This figure has now climbed to over 50,000 competitors from the thirty-two counties. In the Gael Linn competitions, dancing is covered by three categories - Traditional Sets, Creative Sets and Dance Drama. These categories are group dances for four or eight people. The Traditional Set literally follows the old-style dance with heavy foot banging which was performed in so many house gatherings. The Clare and Kerry sets are representative of this style. Although these sets originated in counties Clare and Kerry respectively, they are now danced throughout Ireland. The Creative or Cararet Set gives the dancer more scope and allows for variations, using the lighter Irish dance step. In both sections there are half sets, consisting of four people and full sets with eight people. The Dance Drama consists of one act of twenty minutes duration. It tells a story, mainly with an Irish theme. Dancers portray in a ballet mode an Irish myth, legend or famous event. The life of the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick, and the story of the four Children of Lir are often re-enacted by dancers. Illustrated by Anne Farrall |
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