God is good, but never dance in a small boat. 

Kindly donated by:  Sheila Phillips

Little is known about the early history of Irish dance due to Viking raiders who destroyed most books from the 7th and 8th centuries.
The Viking raids ended in 1014 and Feisianna began.  A Feisianna was a combination trade fair, political gathering and cultural event with sporting events, storytelling, crafts (including vendors) music and dance! During the 12th century, Celtic tradition in Ireland declined. In 1366 the Statute of Kilkenny was decreed imposing heavy penalties against anyone practicing Irish customs.  Dance declined for awhile, then continued on in secret.

From the late 17th century dance and music were the main forms of entertainment in Ireland.
During the 18th and 19th centuries "crossroads dancing" became very popular.  During inclement weather dancers moved into kitchens and barns.
The clergy condemned "crossroads dancing" so the Gaelic League introduced the first Ceili in 1897.  This enabled dancers to be indoors under supervision.   Note - This Ceili was not held in Ireland, but in London October 30th 1897!
In 1929 the Irish Dancing Commission was founded to establish rules in teaching, judging, and competitions and continues to do so today.

http://www.afdaniel.com/inet/irishdance.htm

http://www.itap2.com/irish.htm

http://www.ceili.wizardisland.org/dance.html

http://www.geocities.com/aer_mcr/irdance/irhist.html

The modern form of Irish dancing dates back to the appearance of Dance Masters about 1750. Forerunners of today's Irish dancing teachers, the Dance Masters typically traveled within a county, teaching their repertoire of dance steps and participating in competitions with other Dance Masters.  Seamus Mallon followed in the dance steps of these Dance Masters and taught Irish dance in practically every hall in County Down.

Among the trends in Irish dance are that more girls than boys take up the art, unlike in the 18th and 19th centuries when the reverse was true.

A competition is known as a feis (pronounced "fesh", plural feiseanna, "fesh-anna") and is usually sponsored by a local dancing school or Irish cultural association. Dancers advance to participate in regional competitions known as Oireachtas (pronounced "o-rach-tas") and at the highest levels to the World Championships in Ireland (Oireachtas na Cruinne).