Burke, Manassas Irish Dancers Win At Southern Regional Oireachtas

BURKE, VA — Dancers from Burke and Manassas were among the Irish dancers with first place finishes at a Southern region Irish dancing competition.

Ciara Foley of Burke was the U9 Girls Champion at the Southern Region Oireachtas, held in Greensboro, North Carolina during the first week of December. Aisling Reynolds, of Manassas was the U13 Girls Champion.

The Oireachtas is a three-day regional championship encompassing over 2,000 dancers from the southern region. Competing dancers came from Alabama, Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Mexico. Each dancer competed with one soft shoe dance and one hard shoe dance. Based on scores from those events, the top half of dancers were called to compete in the third round, a hard shoe set dance.

Foley and Reynolds were two of four students of Falls Church-based McGrath Morgan Academy of Irish Dance who won first place trophies. The school's other winners were Isabella Renzi, the U11 Girls Champion, and Jessie Welgos, the U15 Girls Champion.

Reynolds has advanced to the third round since she began competing in the Oireachtas at 7 years old. This year was the fourth straight year she won the U13 Girls Champion title.

"It’s an accomplishment to win the Oireachtas once, but it is almost unheard of to win it four
years in a row," said Dutton. "Lots of dancers would like to replace her. Aisling knew she had to work hard this fall to defend her title. And she did it."

Foley's win was also a repeat from the last year.

"Ciara’s enthusiasm and love for Irish dance shines through at every practice," said Lauren McGrath Dutton, founder of McGrath Morgan Academy of Irish Dance. "I predict that she will have a long, successful future."

The four first-place dancers qualified for the world championships, as well as 12 other dancers from the school. These include Maya Abrashatova, Annabelle Baker, Gabrielle Brown, Madeline Crouse, Leila Frederick, Patrick Gareau, Rory Kipp, Meghan Mularkey, Mara Riordan, Reilly Savage, Kendall Smith and Claire Wolstenholme. The world championship will be held in Belfast, Northern Ireland in the spring.

Additionally, 14 dancers from the school will compete in the North American Championships in Montreal, Canada in the summer: Alexandra Barnet, Meghan Bennett, Hayley Crouse, McKinley Davey, Elaina Dongieus, Madeline Fontana, Mary Kate Gareau, Nicoletta Gareau, Bridgette Hettinger, Katharina Millner, Molly Mostow, Lila Noud, Sophia Savage and Anna Weaver.

"I am proud of my dancers who competed at the Oireachtas, especially these four champions
who showed what can be accomplished with hard work and dedication," said Dutton.

For more information about McGrath Morgan Academy of Irish Dance, visit mcgrathirishdance.com.