Irish Dance

by Arthur Flynn, Anne Farrall (Illustrator)

Irish dance has captured the imagination of people across the world. Huge crowds flock to see dance show rich in colour, action and drama. These spectacular displays of movement and bravura have deep roots in the history of folk-dancing in Ireland.

This authoritative books tells the whole story of Irish dance from its beginnings to the present day.

Genres: Ireland, History, Nonfiction

76 pages, Hardcover

First published January 28, 1998

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute little book all about the history of dance in Ireland. Originally considered by the clergy to be "occasions of sin", the uniqueness of Irish dance is due to the constraints put upon the people by both the Church and the Brits. There is always a silver cloud lurking somewhere especially if the people can charm their way around cultural boulders.

Simplicity. Natural grace. Upright body carriage. Accuracy. Precision. All these attributes combine to make Irish dancing immediately recognizable. This book explains the historical background while also providing explanations of costumes, music, and competitions. When there was a revival of national spirit in the early 20th-century, the popularity of Irish dance eventually led to Eurovision and the now famous Riverdance phenomenon.

This is a handy book to hold and enjoy. Although there are only 75 pages, it's packed with information even spending the last chapter detailing each step in rigs and reels. This would be a lovely little gift for St. Patrick's Day or for anyone interested in the subject. And very green.

Book Season = Spring (crossroads of wooing)

[Samuel · Rating 2 out of 5]

When my mother died, I inherited two trunks that had been in her basement. Mostly, they were filled with photos, papers, that sort of thing. But tucked in one of them was this volume, which she must have picked up on the trip to Ireland that she took with my sister in the late '90s/early '00s. It still has the bookmark in it from the shop she bought it at: Kenny's Bookshop in Galway.

My relationship with my mom was complicated. But I know that she dearly loved to watch Irish dance and listen to Irish music. So I picked up this slim title and started to read.

Look, as a book, this thing isn't very good. It's terribly edited, with the same information presented over and over again -- and yet, since it doesn't provide definitions or a glossary, it's actually not all that easy to follow. It comes across as something written essentially at typing speed in order to capitalize on the popularity of Lord of the Dance and Riverdance; the only reason I gave it two stars instead of one is that I liked Anne Farrall's illustrations.

But I'm still glad that I read it, because it's a connection with my mom. She's gone, and I'll never have the chance to talk to her about Ireland, its dance, or its music. But I feel a bit of the love she had for it, and that's enough to have made reading this book worth it after all.

[Donna Schwartz · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was some interesting information about how Irish dancing developed, but on the whole, the book didn't draw me in and keep me reading. I got some information on how it developed, and I did find the segment on the Irish dance masters and how they traveled in circits teaching the children in the villages interesting.
Also, the chapter about how River Dance and Lord of the Dance inspired more people to take up Irish dancing, was a nice addition to the book.
I did find that the color of the print in the book made it difficult to read and the print was too small.
Not a book I want to keep.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This charmingly illustrated little book provides an interesting account of the history of Irish dance and its contemporary vitality. A pleasure to read and own, though I found the writing in some chapters disjointed and repetitive.

[Annaliesa Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly outdated but interesting nonetheless. Interesting history of the dances and the music. Nice simple illustrations to go along with it

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history bits were interesting, but the book got repetitive towards the end, and descriptions of the dances themselves were a bit clumsy. A quick read.