Ireland & American Irish Studies

Celtic Steps Homepage - Research taken from Toss the Feather – Irish Set Dancing by Pat Murphy.

Dancing has been part of the culture of Ireland for thousands of years, dating back as least as far as the ancient Druids. Over the centuries, the steps and music have evolved along with the occasions when dancing takes place. The Celts are widely credited with turning dancing into a social event, hosting ceilis that featured music, dancing, and storytelling. The steps and techniques of traditional Irish dance were formalized in the 18th century, when dance teachers began organizing competitions between their students. Today, Irish dance is an integral part of Ireland’s identity and culture and a point of national pride.

Irish dance refers to a group of traditional dance forms that originate in Ireland, encompassing dancing both solo and in groups, and dancing for social, competitive, and performance purposes.

Dance is an integral component of the Irish cultural landscape. In addition to a broad base of talented professional artists, the dance sector also promotes participative dance practice. A growing number of people of all ages and social status attend dance activities across the country, from urban centres to rural communities, making dance one of the most widely practiced artforms in Ireland. The Arts Council supports dance across a number of genres through grant programs and awards, and invests in future developments through special initiatives devised in partnership with others.

The objective of An Coimisiún is to preserve and promote Irish Dancing, including step dancing, céili dancing and other team dancing, and also to promote the use of the Irish language.

Cumann Rince Náisiúnta (CRN) was founded in 1982. This organization believes that all teachers and that all dancers should be afforded the right to dance. CRN dancers commenced dancing competitions with an open platform and to this day CRN successfully operates an Open Platform where any dancer regardless of their school or organization can compete in our Feiseanna. CRN is governed by an Executive Committee who are elected by our members to uphold our Constitution. All our Feile’s and Feiseanna are run under our Rules of Competition.

The World Irish Dance Association (WIDA) is a non-profit organisation devoted to promoting Irish dance around the world. Since its founding in 2004, WIDA has developed a global presence and currently includes over 140 schools in 21 countries – and continues to grow at a fast pace.

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann is the largest group involved in the preservation and promotion of Irish traditional music. They are a non-profit cultural movement with hundreds of local branches around the world. This organization has been working for the cause of Irish music since 1951. Their efforts continue with increasing zeal as the movement launches itself into the 21st century.

Irish music is music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland. The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th and into the 21st century, despite globalizing cultural forces. In spite of emigration and a well-developed connection to music influences from Britain and the United States, Irish traditional music has kept many of its elements and has itself influenced many forms of music, such as country and roots music in the United States, which in turn have had some influence on modern rock music. It has occasionally been fused with rock and roll, punk rock, and other genres. Some of these fusion artists have attained mainstream success, at home and abroad.

Founded in 1987, the Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) is home to the largest, most comprehensive collection of Irish traditional music, song, and dance in the world. At ITMA, we digitize, preserve and offer free universal access to valuable recordings, photographs, manuscripts, and other archived materials that would otherwise be lost. In doing this, we also connect contemporary artists with archived materials in order to inspire new art, helping to build the living archive of the future.

The Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) is a non-profit making organisation set up by record companies in the Republic of Ireland, to provide members with a convenient means to discuss matters of common interest and to provide a medium to represent the Irish record industry in negotiations with Government and other parties. Generally, it operates to promote and protect the welfare and interests of the Irish record industry.

The Ward Irish Music Archives consists of more than 50,000 objects, including Irish music recordings; paper ephemera such as postcards, sheet music and song books; instruments; photos; concert memorabilia; rare 78s, 45s and LPs; and even music recorded on wax cylinders. Their online catalog gives access to our collections to enthusiasts, students, and lovers of music everywhere.