19th Annual Irish Set Dancing weekend: Friday 10 October – Sunday 12 October 2025
Hall Pavilion, Gladstone St (Showground), Hall ACT 2618.Location map
Watch this space for details coming Easter 2025.
If you would like to be on the mailing list, please contact us moc.liamg@arrebnacdsi
Past events:
2024: We have just had a fabulous weekend of dance and music with over 100 people attending from around Australia and overseas. Helen Stonehouse from NZ was our teacher for the weekend, accompanied by Roger, Tom and Em (Round the House Ceili Band) who gave us music for Helen’s workshops. They joined with Ann O’Donovan and the Ceili Playboys for ceilis on Saturday evening (attended by the Irish Ambassador, Tim Mawe) and on Sunday afternoon. Photos coming soon.
Past events:
2023: What a wonderful weekend with Tim Flaherty, Irish Dance Master from Belfast! After meeting up at the Canberra Irish Club on the Friday evening for a meal and some informal dancing, Tim gave us workshops on Saturday and Sunday, treating us with his knowledge and humour. The Jimmy Mullarkey Ceili Band delighted with its fabulous music for two ceilis. The Irish Ambassador, His Excellency Tim Mawe, officially opened the weekend at the Saturday evening Ceili, and then gave many of us an opportunity to chat with him over supper.
2022: After a two year absence, the Canberra Irish Set Dancing weekend gathered together dancers from Canberra, NSW, Victoria and Queensland for a wonderful weekend of dancing, socialising, laughter and fun. Haven’t we missed it!
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The event was not held in 2020 or 2021 due to Covid-19.
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2019:
Attended by close to 100 people from around Australia, the weekend featured workshops with Margaret and Bill Winnett (NSW) and Matt Harriage (Vic), and three ceilis dancing to the music of The Friends Ceili Band.
Even if we didn’t perfect the more difficult moves of some new and intricate sets taught at the workshops, there was much hilarity in trying to get there. Some dancers came well prepared for the challenge; wearing T-shirts proclaiming: It’s not a mistake – It’s just a variation.
The Friends Ceili Band, led by Ian Hayden, gave us wonderful music for three ceilis over the weekend. As has become a bit of a tradition, numbers swelled on the Friday and Saturday evenings with people drawn by the opportunity to dance to live, and lively, Irish music.
The Embassy of Ireland has been a generous sponsor and supporter of the dance weekend in previous years, and was so again in 2019. The ISD group is very grateful to the Embassy of Ireland for its ongoing sponsorship and support.
2018:
We crammed over 130 people into the Hall Pavilion for a fantastic weekend of dancing and laughter. We were so very fortunate to have Maureen Culleton, Irish Set Dancing Master from County Laois. We learned so much from her in just two days, including Sean N’os (solo dancing), and were treated to her singing for us in Gaelic.
The Jimmy Mullarkey Ceili Band gave us ‘can’t sit in your seat’ music for three ceilis. Nothing like live music to get people onto the floor.
Photos: melbourneceilicamera.org
