World Irish Dance championships to be held in Dublin - VIDEO

Over 4.500 dancers including over 1,000 from North America are scheduled to take part in the world Irish dance championships which will beheld on April 17 to 24th in Dublin.

The venue will be the Citywest Hotel in the West of the city and the official opening ceremony will be performed by Irish president Mary McAleese.

Up to 30,000 spectators are expected to attend during the week long event which will climax with the prize giving ceremonies at the weekend.

There are 62 competition categories in all from senior men and women down to top dancers in the 12-13 age group for both men and women.

The week long jamboree of Irish dance will feature competition in every age group for men and women with dancers from five continents, Australia, the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia expected to be involved.

Irish dancers from America will attend from over 30 states and form as far away as California and Hawaii.
The worldwide attendance is another tribute to the extraordinary growth of Irish dancing since the ‘Riverdance’ and ‘Lord of the Dance’ shows which put Irish dancing on the map world-wide.

“Lord of the dance’ creator Michael Fatley may well attend part of the championship and he has been a valued guest in the past.

Footage from the 2010 Championship: