This is competitive Irish dancing – where the margins between those who make it on to the podium and those who won’t will be ruthlessly razor thin. Irish dancing, a unique blend of cultural art form and elite sport, is not only fiercely competitive. Until then, outsiders like me had viewed the curious world of Irish dancing as an almost entirely innocuous and twee pursuit. Competition, and more specifically, winning competitions, has for decades been the driving force behind the evolution of Irish dancing. Ellen Coyne’s book Dirty Dancing: The Inside Story of the Irish Dancing Cheating Scandal (€19.99) is published on April 16th by Gill Books.

Source: The Irish Times April 12, 2026 12:31 UTC