CLRG's World Irish Dancing Championships to return this April

Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne (Wolrd Irish Dancing Championships) will return this April, An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG) has confirmed.

“It is with great pleasure that we announce that Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne 2022 will go ahead between April 10 - 17, 2022 in the Waterfront Hall and International Conference Centre, Belfast,” CLRG, the largest and oldest competitive Irish dance organization in the world, announced on social media on February 6.

However, CLRG also confirmed in its announcement that Oireachtas Rince na hÉireann (All-Ireland Irish Dancing Championships) is "regretfully canceled" this year due to no suitable date being available. The next Oireachtas Rince na hÉireann is now scheduled to take place in Killarney, Co Kerry in February 2023.

CLRG's Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne, which was postponed in both 2020 and 2021, is the highest level of competition for Irish dancers within the CLRG organization and draws thousands of competitors from around the globe in both solo and team events. The massive competition is typically hosted over the Easter period in a new location each year.

COVID status checks, including proof of vaccination or lateral flow testing, will be implemented at this year's event and CLRG says it is still obliged to collect contact details for track and trace purposes.

“Should COVID-19 requirements change, these will be communicated to teachers and via the CLRG Website,” the organization says.

The confirmation that Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne 2022 will indeed take place comes just after the closing date for entries - regular entries could be submitted through January 28, and the late entry period ended on February 4. 

Irish dancers must be at least 8 years old as of January 1, 2022, to compete in CLRG's World Irish Dancing Championships 2022. This year's event sees some adjustments to qualification criteria due to some national and regional events not being held over the past two years due to the pandemic. More information is available in the event's syllabus, available online here with a  supplement here.

In announcing the return of Worlds over the weekend, CLRG posted a days-only timetable, which is subject to change. The organization anticipates sharing a final days-only timetable no earlier than February 26, and a final detailed timetable no earlier than March 5.

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