Trailblazing Irish dance teacher dies in Australia after record 80 year career

Geraldine Ryan (née O'Shea), one of the first Irish dance teachers recognized outside of Ireland, died on November 25 at the age of 93.

A native of Melbourne, Ryan became a Victorian and Australian Irish dance champion in her youth and holds the distinction of being the first Australian to compete at the All-Ireland Irish Dance Championships.

In 1953, she traveled by ship to Ireland and studied Irish dancing. She went on to become the first person outside of Ireland and England to become a registered teacher with An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG, the oldest and largest competitive Irish dance organization in the world.)

Back in Australia, she founded the O'Shea Ryan Academy of Irish Dance which exists to this day, offering Irish dance classes for "the very young to the 'young at heart.'"

In 2013, Ryan was honored by CLRG with the Gradam Award for her lifelong dedication to the promotion and teaching of Irish dance during the 2023 World Irish Dancing Championships which were hosted that year in Boston.

Later, in 2020, Ryan was awarded an Order of Australia (OAM) medal ‘‘for service to Irish dancing."

After receiving the OAM, she told the Australian Associated Press: "People ask me when I'm going to retire and I say I don't know anything about that retiring word.

"While the good Lord keeps me plodding around, I think I'll just keep chugging along."

Indeed, Ryan kept "chugging along" with Irish dancing. On social media, Jody Moran posted in the Irish Music Australia group that Ryan had still been traveling "3,000 km around Victoria each week" to teach Irish dance up until six weeks before her death.

In 2020, Ryan told ABC Australia: "I suppose it's in your blood, and it helps if you're mad!"

"It was always drummed into me that if you have some knowledge or some talent or something, it's your duty to pass it on.

"And if you have a culture, it's your duty to pass it on."

Warm tributes to Ryan have been shared on social media upon her passing.

The Friends of St Brigid's Association in South West Victoria said it was "deeply saddened" to hear of Ryan's passing before sharing highlights of her "almost unbelievable" Irish dance career.

Teresa O’Brien, whose daughters danced for Ryan, wrote: "She was a gifted dancer and teacher. She was strict, always making sure that students were keeping time, repeating dances time after time until they remembered them.

"She was also gentle, scooping up the hand of a small nearby child and bringing them into the dance.

"As parents, we watched in awe as she turned chaos into a class and gave all of our children the cultural confidence that they still carry today."

O'Brien added: "She held such a deep passion for Irish dancing, as being an important part of identity.

"She was always open to everyone taking part in Irish dancing, regardless of their cultural background."