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JULY-AUGUST 2005
Irish Education Minister Critical of 'Dolling-up' Young Irish Dancers
DUBLIN - Irish Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin, has sharply criticized the use of make-up and tanning creams on young children who participate in Irish singing and dancing competitions and exhibitions.
Hanafin, a former teacher, said she hoped parents everywhere will voice strong objection to the culture of "dolling-up" young girls who take part in the various Irish national and local step-dancing competitions.
"The sooner parents object to it, the better," she said, after watching an Irish dancing presentation performed by girls at a new EU2 million all-Irish school, Scoil Rois, which she officially opened at Carrickmacross, County Monaghan.
The minister noted that all the girls were wearing colourful traditional costumes and hadn't the slightest tinge of make-up on their young faces. The school, which is the first of its kind to be built in the region, caters for almost 200 students.
"It is timely that it should be opened this week, when Irish has just become an official language of the European Union," said the minister. Praising the dancing skills of the "clear-skinned" children, Hanafin added, "It is heartening to see the great emphasis placed on Irish culture here -for example, through music and drama."
The National Parents Council backed the minister's comments and warned that covering children in blush and mascara runs the risk of reducing Irish dancing to a garish American beauty pageant.
"It would be dreadful if we saw traditional Irish dancing taking on the role of an American beauty pageant which have more to do with mum and dad's ambitions than the child's enjoyment," said spokesperson Eleanor Petrie. "I think any kind of stereotype is dangerous. Dance competitions are supposed to be concerned with how you move and hold yourself, not how you look. The colour of your skin should not influence a judge one way or the other," she added.
But she could see the benefit of time-saving wigs. "It used to take hours with rags and rollers to get the look, and wigs save children from having their hair sprayed and styled to within an inch of its life," she said.
"Interest in Irish dancing seems to have levelled off in recent years. Riverdance helped to bring back greater participation but it seems to have waned since. Irish dancing is a tradition we would hate to see lost, and we would like to see more boys involved," she added.
B.C. Dancers Compete at the NA Nationals
By ELMA MELHUS
VANCOUVER - When the rest of Canada celebrated Canada Day on July 1, a talented group of dancers from British Columbia's ownPenkO'Donnell School of Irish Dance descended on Nashville, Tennessee, to compete at the 2005 North American Irish Dance Championships (Nationals).
The group, which includes dancers from the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast, and Washington State, have all qualified at regional competitions to represent Western Canada and the Western United States at the North American Championships.
They range in age from nine through 20, and although some are attending the nationals for their first time, others have competed both at Nationals and Worlds for a number of years.
At past nationals, Yvonne Lynch (not shown) of Coquitlam has been in the top five and Catherine Gallagher (not shown) has won the North American title. This past March, Bronagh Rogan, Yvonne Lynch, Candice Corrigan and Gabby Corrigan all returned from the World Championships in Ireland with medals to add to their growing collection.
The Penk O'Donnell School of Irish Dance is based in Coquitlam and North Vancouver. For more information, please contact Deirdre Penk O'Donnell at (604) 921-0700 orvisitwww.penkodonnell.com.
DANCERS with the Penk O'Donnell School of Irish Dance - (L-R) Back row: Rosemary Owens, Gabby Corrigan, Erin Gallagher, MiekaelaTumber, Sheena Rowe, Deirdre Penk-O'Donnell, Kayleigh Jeffers, Ben Freemantle, Nicole McAuley, Hannah Bryn-Jones, Lara BrewsterFront row: Hannah Ingham, Bronagh Rogan,AmyTurton, Lizzie Munroe, Candice Corrigan
Victims of Air India Attack Remembered in Ireland
CORK - Ceremonies were held in Cork on June 22 and 23 to commemorate the 329 people who died in 1985 when a bomb exploded on board an Air India jet off the southwest coast of Ireland. The main ceremony took place at a monument to all the dead at Ahakista, near Bantry in West Cork.
Many of the victims' families travelled to Ireland for the occasion and were joined by President Mary McAleese, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, British Columbia premier Gordon Campbell and the Indian Ambassador, Saurabh Kumar.
The ceremonies were also attended by representatives of the Irish emergency services and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Those commemorating the event released 329 white balloons into the air and placed a similar number of paper lanterns in the sea.
The Canadian Prime Minister, the Indian Ambassador and the Irish President all laid wreaths at the memorial, which was built in 1986, and placed floating candles in Dunmanus Bay during the ceremony.
A bomb, planted by a Sikh separatist organization, detonated on board, killing all crew and passengers, as the Air India flight from Vancouver to New Delhi was some 100 miles off the West Cork coast. After the tragedy Ahakista became the nerve centre for an off-shore search for bodies.
CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER Paul Martin and Irish President Mary McAleese carry candles to the sea in memory of the victims of Air India flight 182.
Immediately, the people of the West Cork village opened their doors, providing beds, food, consolation and support to the bereaved as they flocked there from Canada and India in the hope that the remains of their loved ones would be found.
As the twentieth anniversary of the atrocity was commemorated, locals were shown just how much their solace was appreciated. "The Irish people opened their arms to us when the other countries involved pushed us away," said Susheel Gupta, whose mother Ramwati was killed in the flight and who, at the age of 12, was the only bereaved child who travelled to Ahakista for the search operation.
"Last night I saw some of the nurses who were in the hospital at that time, and I remembered them
clearly. I remembered their faces. The kindness and generosity in their faces is something that I could never forget, and it's imprinted on my mind forever."
But there has been frustration and anger over the last 20 years as a result of the Canadian authorities' failure to catch the killers. Only two months ago, two men on trial for the murders were acquitted in Vancouver due to lack of credibility of some of the witnesses in the case.
This was a moment for the survivors , in front of their Prime Minister and the international media, for mourners to remind those in authority of their continued anguish and reiterate their demands for a full sworn inquiry which they believe is the only way of finally achieving closure.
Talented Alberta Dancer Continues to Win Awards
EDMONTON - Rebecca Bell, an exceptionally talented young Irish dancer with Mattierin School of Irish Dance of Edmonton, has many accomplishments to her credit. Rebecca (13) has qualified for the Worlds every year since being eligible at age 10, and has recalled all four years. Only 30 percent of the competitors recall to perform a third solo set dance at the Worlds.
At age 11, in the 2003 World Championships, she became the youngest Canadian girl ever to earn a World placement medal. This medal is only awarded to the top 15 percent of the competition. She finished 18th out of 135 dancers.
In November 2004, Rebecca won the Girls under 14 Western Canadian Oireacthas Championship, qualifying for the World Irish Dancing championships in Ennis, County Clare, in March of this year. She again was recalled. Rebecca's parents are MervandPatti Bell of Edmonton.
Need a Spouse? Look No Further
DUBLIN - New figures released by the Central Statistics Office show that when searching for a bride, Donegal men stick to their own, but Leitrim lovers travel further afield to find their beloved.
The statistics show that 88 percent of grooms living in Donegal married brides living in the county - the highest proportion in the country. But just down the road in Leitrim, less than 63 percent of grooms married women from the county.
However, the Leitrim brides also travel to find love, and only 52 percent of them married grooms living in Lovely Leitrim.
Both Leitrim figures were the lowest in the country with Donegal (for grooms) and Wexford (for brides) at the other end of the scale. Wexford brides, at 85 percent, were the most likely to marry someone from their own county.
The Central Statistics Office figures also show that almost 90 percent of men and just over 91 percent of women who marry in Ireland were living in the country before the wedding. And of all those who were married in 2002, 11 percent said their future permanent residence would be outside the country.