Murphy Irish Dancers

Mayor Frank G. Jackson presented a proclamation congratulating the Murphy Irish Dancers 2015 Senior Dance Drama World Champions. The Murphy Irish Dancers of Cleveland, Ohio competed in the World Championships of Irish Dance in Montreal, Canada. They were among thousands of dancers from all over the world who traveled to Montreal to compete in solo and team dancing for the World Titles.

The team, which includes 17 dancers ranging in age from 27 to 9, received five first place votes from the judges, one second place and one fourth place. Throwing out the high and low, they scored 475 out of 500 and beat out the next closest team by 105 points. The Dance Drama category requires the competitive teams to portray a story of Irish background through music, sets, props, costumes and make up and of course excellent dancing. “Miracle on Whiskey Island” was the title of the Murphy Irish Arts Center entry. The story revealed the life of the Irish immigrants in the 1800’s who worked on the docks in Cleveland and lived in a then run down area known as Whiskey Island.

The Murphy Irish Arts Center, in its 37th year, is under the direction of its founder Sheila Murphy Crawford Ms. Crawford and Maureen Cavanaugh developed the Whiskey Island story and dance. Both are certified Irish Dance teachers with the governing body of Irish Dance in Dublin, Ireland. Technical director, Bob Crawford and the parents worked together on the construction of the sets, props, and costumes. The Murphy Irish Dancers deserve commendation for this accomplishment.