26/01/2005

Belfast once again to become Irish dancing capital

In just over ten days’ time, Belfast will become the Irish dancing capital of Ireland when its hosts the annual 2005 Oireachtas Rince na hEireann, or All-Ireland Irish Dancing Championships.

This year’s event takes place at the Waterfront Hall between February 7 and 12 with more than 3,000 dancers set to compete in six days of competitions in Step, Ceili and Figure dancing.

Speaking at the Waterfront Hall this morning, Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Tom Ekin, said everyone was looking forward to welcoming the cream of the world’s Irish dancing community to the city.

“The two World Championships hosted in Belfast in recent years have been the biggest in the event’s history. We are looking forward to repeating that success with the All-Ireland Championships, by hosting a competition that is bigger and better than ever before,” he said.

Belfast hosted the World Championships on two occasions, in 2000 and 2004, and has been chosen to host the event again in 2006.

Spectator tickets for this year’s event will be available at the Waterfront Hall during the competition, but cannot be purchased in advance.

Visit the Irish Dancing Commission's website at www.clrg.ie for further information on the event.

(MB/SP)

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