Summary

Margaret Cunningham Hyland, originally from Chicago, moved into Phoenix when her father was ill with tuberculosis in 1942. Her family was instrumental in developing Irish community ties within the valley. Mrs. Hyland was one of the first dancers in the valley, having learned from an Irish girl named Mae Cooney, who was the niece of John Hanifan. The Cunninghams were involved in the creation of the Irish-American Social Club, and began the organization of Irish cultural events in the valley. Mrs. Hyland was also involved in other forms of dance and taught Irish dance for a short period. She and her brother Father John Cunningham also performed as a musical group, and she and Father Cunningham often offered assistance to various dancing teachers and events throughout the years

In 1963, Mary McCormack and her family moved to Phoenix. She had previously taken class with the Baron School in New Jersey, and her daughters were pupils of Una Ellis in the 1950s. After being asked to teach, Mrs. McCormack began a small school in 1964 named the Donegal Dancers. She continued teaching until 1998 and perpetuated Irish dancing culture in Arizona throughout that time. Mrs. McCormack made lessons very inexpensive and taught classes out of her enclosed porch. Her dancers performed at Mayor Margaret T. Hance’s Brown Bag Lunches and on the “Bedpan Circuit” as entertainment for invalids and other patients. Marshall Rakowsky, Sterling Briggs, and, especially, Sol Rudnick were musicians that often performed with the group. Notable dancers from this time period include Linda Sheedy, Maureen Mullins, Mary Doyle Lanz, and Sheila Martin. Mrs. Lanz eventually was the first teacher of Irish dance in Tucson from 1982 to 1984, leading the Emerald Isle Dancers.

Around the late 1970's, Mrs. McCormack began to encourage three women who had extensive dancing experience, Kathleen McCafferty Dobyns, Nora Pearse, and Dottie Flynn Wood to teach classes. Mrs. Dobyns and Ms. Pearse had been contemporaries on the championship scene in the east coast, while Mrs. Flynn, also an easterner, was slightly older. All brought new techniques and a more advanced level of dancing to the area. Probably the most prestigious of these was Mrs. Dobyns, who had been the National champion and who won the Overseas Award at the World Championships. Dottie Flynn had also been a notable teacher already and had studied under Professor McKenna. However, none of these women was a fully certified teacher, although Mrs. Dobyns had been awarded a conditional TCRG, as (it seems) had Dottie Flynn. Mrs. Dobyns was also the first teacher to take dancers to competitions in California, and even had dancers competing in the Nationals. However, none of these teachers were especially enthusiastic about exposing their dancers to the cut-throat world of Irish dancing competition. Notable dancers from this time include Sarah McNulty, Leisl Shaughnessy, Heather Stewart, and Tanya Lloyd, all of whom rose to prominence later.

Mrs. Flynn and others were excited to begin a local yearly competition. After holding a festival in 1983, the Phoenix Feis was started in November of 1984. In the same year, the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade was held.

Pat Hall, ADCRG, also began her classes in Tucson in 1984. She had been a champion dancer under the tutelage of her mother, Maureen Hall, ADCRG, who is at the head of the McTeggart School in America. Pat Hall was thus the first fully certified teacher to work in Arizona. She established a school that continues to this day in Phoenix. Mrs. Hall originally taught at George O’Leary’s mobile home park, and then classes were moved to different locations. Ms. Hall was the first teacher in Arizona to place an emphasis on competition, and her dancers were certainly among the best of their time in Arizona. Prominent dancers of Tucson in the middle 1980s include Una Hennessy and Charles Flint. Leisl Shaughnessy qualified for the World Championships around that time under Pat Hall.

Around 1985, the Tucson Feis was started, and Tucson also began its own parade after holding picnics. Pat Hall began to hold classes in Phoenix after Kathleen McCafferty handed over her school in 1985. For a time she would be the most prominent teacher in the area, and, in 1986, the Arizonan competitors in the Phoenix Feis were almost entirely McTeggart students.

However, around 1987 Ron Plummer began teaching classes in the Phoenix area. Mr. Plummer is also an ADCRG and a prominent Irish-born champion and teacher, who lives in Canada and teaches around North America. His California dancers would often compete in Arizona feiseanna prior to his classes in the area. He taught in Arizona for a few years, encouraging students such as the McNultys, the Daughertys and Meghan Murphy. Doireann Maoileidigh was a young TCRG (later ADCRG), living at the time in California. She is also a former champion from Ireland. She began teaching in the Valley about the same time, because of the encouragement of the Houghtelin family and because of the request of Nora Pearse, who was leaving the area. She began teaching some of the dancers from the Pearse school, such as Mary and Tricia Cunningham, as well as newer dancers such as Laura Donohue. Later the students from the Plummer school were absorbed by the Maoileidigh school and the McTeggart school.

The Arizona branch of the Maoileidigh School grew and eventually qualified Sarah McNulty for the World Championships. In 1991, Maoileidigh school parents such as Karen Masterson and Stephanie (Murphy) Sphenonious began the Feis in the Desert, to try to expand the opportunities for competition in the area. Another significant student of the time was Heather McElligott, who began dancing about the time that she won the Colleen Pageant in the early 1990s. She passed her TCRG exam around 1995 and began to found a solid school in the Phoenix area.

In the beginning of the 1990s the McTeggart School began experiencing some difficulties as personal issues made it difficult for Pat Hall to continue her classes in Arizona. Maureen Hall began to teach monthly lessons in both Phoenix and Tucson, and Sharon Judd was encouraged to take her examinations. Mrs. Judd is now a TMRF. Although Gwynette Vath had some notable successes during the early 1990s, including qualifying for the World Championships, the Tucson branch of the school began to decline. This effect was exacerbated by the early death of Erin Rogan, who had been a good friend to many and a strong dancer around that time. While classes eventually ended in Tucson, the school continues in Phoenix.

After teaching for slightly less than a decade, Doireann Maoileidigh wanted to transfer her Phoenix students to someone who had a background similar to hers but would keep a permanent residence in the area. She was able to encourage Tom Bracken, TCRG, ADCRG, to move to Phoenix. Mr. Bracken had been a three-time All-Ireland champion and, around the time that he moved to the Phoenix area, in the mid-1990s, one of his students won second in the World Championships and then another won first place in the Worlds. Soon after Mr. Bracken moved to Arizona, Rosemary Browne, MD, who had moved into the area from the East coast and whose children had begun to dance in the McTeggart School, passed her TCRG exam and began to teach with Mr. Bracken. The Bracken School was thus bolstered in both metropolitan areas.

This period coincided with the extreme global growth of Irish dancing, from which Arizona certainly was thankfully not sheltered. The three remaining Irish dancing schools in the area (Bracken, McElligott, and McTeggart) began to grow exponentially, as did outside interest and performance opportunities. During this period the Phoenix area would grow into one of biggest metropolitan areas in the United States. Irish dancing in Arizona was no longer as isolated as it previously had been. Arizonan Irish dancers began to place significantly higher than they had previously placed in local, regional, national, and global competitions. The first of this new wave of champions were the Marc and Karl Callaghan (Dragosz), who both competed in the Worlds. Following them, dancers from the Bracken school who qualified for the World Championships were Caitlin Meaney, Sam Diggins, Julian Gladysiewski, Amanda Harrington, Savannah Corral, Kirsten Hahn, Ansley Pray, Rachel McGregor, Kyren Lynch, Matt O’Leary, Hunter Terrell, and Carolyn Quigley. Caitlin Meaney and Kyren Lynch, both 2002 Western Regional Oireachtas winners, have the unique distinction of being the first dancers from Arizona to bring back medals from the World Championships (2003). Also during this time Ann Franevsky from the McElligott School qualified for the World Championships. The Bayley sisters also have performed well at the Oireachtas level. In addition Kelley Naumann recalled at the 2003 North American National Championships. Another notable dancer from this time is the long-legged Kelly Sweeney from the McTeggart School, who is a local favorite.

New feiseanna were also started in this time, including the McElligott Christmas Feis (1998) and the McTeggart-run Arizona State Championship Feis (2001). In addition, the Feis in the Desert and the Tucson Feis switched over to being run by the Bracken School. The Phoenix Feis Committee maintained its status as an independent community-based group. Thus, options for competition have expanded significantly into the present era.

All three of these schools have continued strongly into the present day. In addition, Sarah Houghtelin, who had been a Preliminary champion in the Maoileidigh School, has recently passed her TCRG exam. Gwynette Hall née Vath is also trying to become certified, and has begun holding class in Tucson under the Hall School. Kirsten Hahn has serious plans to take her teacher’s exam after she finishes her competitive and performing career. It is very likely that as other dancers in the area mature they will also be interested in teaching. In addition, Kevin Horton, a Tully-O’Hare World qualifier, has recently moved into the Phoenix area to attend Arizona State University.

Glossary of Unusual Terms

ADCRG- Judge and teacher (certified).

An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha- The primary global Irish dancing organization that sets rules and certifies teachers, especially in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, as well as Ireland, England, and Scotland, and other miscellaneous areas. The other large Irish dancing bodies are An Comhdháil Múinteorí na Rincí Gaelacha and the Festival Dance Teachers’ Association, but neither of these has the global reach of An Coimisiún.

Ceílí- Group dances or a social gathering that features them.

Feis- Irish dancing competition.

Feiseanna- Plural of feis.

Fleadh- Specific type of Irish music competition.

Seisiún- Irish music session.

TCRG- Dance teacher (certified).

TMRF- Teacher of ceílí only (certified).

An Rince Thé- the best translation available for “The Hot Dance.”