Englishman flying the flag for set dancing’s Galway revival
Galway City is a place renowned for its traditional music. Wander through the streets any evening and you are sure to hear the sounds of a lively trad session bellowing from numerous pubs, being enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.
However, what is not as common a sight these days is the dancing that this music was designed to cater for, set dancing. Looking to reignite this huge part of our Irish culture is the Galway Céilí Club.
Every Monday and Thursday evening the group meets up for classes - beginners on Mondays and improvers on Thursdays.
Their goal is to create a new generation of set dancers, keen to showcase their talents in bars and community centres across the county.
“I attended a French Dance Festival and saw that French folk-dance culture was very much alive, where younger people would make up 70 per cent of the crowd,” recalled Joe Gray, who alongside Ryan McKenna, set up the Galway Céilí Club last year.
“Each generation had gotten into it and helped keep it alive. We felt we needed to capture this youthful enthusiasm and bring it back to Galway.
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