Irish Dancers

Our sweet Mary and my equally sweet niece Shannon left for Portland, Oregon this evening (with my sister Joan) to compete in an Irish Dance competition. Shannon (who is 17 and a junior in high school) will be dancing both individually and as part of a team called a Ceile (pronounced "Kaylee"). Mary (who is 13 and in 8th grade) will be dancing as part of a Ceile team only. It's a major dance event in the world of Irish Dancing. If you place high enough, you earn the right to compete in the World competition which takes place every Spring in Ireland.

While Mary will be the first to tell you that I am not a big fan of spending my entire weekend at an Irish Dance competition (I'd rather stick needles in my eyes, actually), I really am disappointed that I'm not able to experience such a major competition with Mary. She always does better when I'm not around, so that makes me feel a little bit better. Mary's competition is on Sunday, and Shannon dances both Saturday and Sunday. Send good luck their way and I'll let you know how they do.

Good evening.