Friday, March 20, 2015 The Clare Champion P11 NEWS Clare to host world dancing competition One annuity loan been living in Clare since last year and took granted since 2011 Ron Kirwan up Irish dancing again two years ago. “I danced as a kid but never danced in com- CLARE will host the fi rst World Senior petition,” she said. Agency. Irish Dancing Championships this No- Her daughter is an Irish dancing teacher Ron Kirwan Applications are being refused vember. The announcement was made and it was through one of her workshops by the council for one or a com- at a Senior Feis held in over the that she met her adult dancing teacher, Ni- A CALL has been made to bination of the following reasons: weekend. amh. change the lending criteria and applicants are not in continuous Adult Irish dancers, aged between 18 “My fi rst feis was in Germany two years the cost for applicants to the an- employment for the required and 75, competed in all grades, from be- ago and I absolutely love dancing. One of nuity loans scheme, after council- length of time; earnings are not ginner to open standard and age groups the reasons I took it up was for physical lors heard that only one loan has suffi cient to make loan repay- from under 21 to over 50, at the Feis or- exercise but it’s also exercise for the brain been granted since 2011. ments and would exceed 35% of ganised by Ennis dance teacher, Cora as well. I think the biggest fear as you get At a recent county council meet- household net income, if granted; Summerville. older is probably Alzheimer’s and I think ing, Councillor Mary Howard had there is evidence of diffi culty with “We had 35 dancers competing in the if you can remember Irish dancing steps, called for a report from the direc- repayments on existing borrow- Senior Feis and they danced their hearts your brain will always be active. I’ve only tor of services with responsibility ings; applicants do not have the out,” said Cora, a retired garda, who last started heavy shoes dancing over the past for housing on the low numbers required 3% deposit and/or are year founded the Alliance of Irish Dance few months and today is my fi rst time doing applying for annuity loans and unable to show evidence of sav- Teachers (AIDT). the treble jig, so I’m happy and I love it. asked why there is such a high ings of at least 1.5% of the pur- The new organisation is for Irish dance “I’ve inspired a few people to get in- rejection rate for the annuity loan chase price of the property. teachers who wish to work outside of the volved; people from Portlaoise and from scheme and what fee is charged The council meets with each framework of the big organisations, such Kerry, people from everywhere. I’m danc- for processing annuity loan ap- potential applicant before submit- as An Coimisiun and An Comhdhail. ing with kids aged from six to 11 but it’s plications. ting an application and carries out Cora and other dance teachers think of dancing so it doesn’t matter. The kids say To have an application proc- a desktop exercise to assess their Irish dancing as being creative and free, to me, ‘Oh, you got a second, that’s great’. essed costs €150. In 2011, there eligibility. If the eligibility criteria believing that at times it is stifl ed by rules And I say, ‘yes but I had to work very were 13 applications for annu- cannot be met, the loan applica- and regulations and the AIDT has adopt- hard’. There was a woman dancing in Ger- ity loans to the council; two were tion is generally not submitted, ed a different approach to adult dancing, many two years ago. She was 74 and she’s a thus saving the applicant the time ■ Ali Kelly, Ennis, a pupil of the Summerville School of Dancing, presenting a delighted withdrawn and none were grant- another neglected area in the Irish danc- teacher now. If she can do it, anyone can,” ed. In 2012, 2013 and 2014, there and expense of making an appli- Margaret Corry, Ennis, with her first place prize in the over 50 competition at the Clare Mags said. cation, Mr Dollard explained. ing world. Senior Feis. Photograph by Rice Inniu were three applications each year “We owe Michael Flatley hugely for Jackie McCaw learned Irish dancing in and of these nine, only one was Having read Mr Dollard’s re- putting our dancers on the map and as exercise for adults. While you physically dance, teresting,” he told The Clare Champion. London as a child, before moving to Kil- granted – in 2013, while a number sponse, Councillor Howard que- a result of Riverdance, Irish dancing be- you have to remember the pattern of your steps Having moved to France, Graham realised maley with her parents. She fi rst started were still in process at the end of ried if the fee of €150 is too high came very popular worldwide,” said Cora, and then you move to the next level of steps. Of that following the success of Riverdance, there dancing with Cora but she had to give Irish the year in which the application and Councillor Johnny Flynn who travels extensively around the world course, it goes without saying that it is never too is now a whole new movement in Europe and dancing up when she moved to Wales. was made, according to Ger Dol- asked if all the criteria were im- giving Irish dancing workshops and judg- late to start dancing and we have loads of adults adults in Germany, Spain and Russia have However, when Jackie came back to Clare, lard, director of services. proved, might it improve the suc- ing competitions. who have done just that,” she said. learned to dance. she heard that Cora was teaching adult He said there is a high refusal cess rate of people who are trying “The dancers involved in my workshops Among the adult dancers competing in Ennis “I realised that moving to France I might have classes and took up Irish dancing again. rate for local authority annuity to build their own homes. and in competitions have mainly been at the weekend was Graham McKane, an Aus- more chance of competing in Irish dancing there “It’s great for fi tness and it keeps your loans because the applicants are Councillor Tom McNamara said adults and feeling guilty about the way we tralia who lives on the Spanish border in France than I did in London. My teacher said to me brain active. You can do all the keep-fi t fi nding it diffi cult to meet the re- the council should be encouraging neglect our adult dancers here in Ireland, and attends Irish dancing lessons in Spain. recently, ‘there’s a competition in Clare, would classes you like but this is something else,” quired lending criteria. To be people to take out loans and give I set up adult classes in Ennis three years “I danced when I was young until I was about you go’, so I thought I could visit some friends Jackie said. eligible, an applicant must be them the ownership of their own ago,” Cora explains. 25 and then you feel really old with all the young in London and then I’m off to Germany for a The fi rst World Senior Irish Dancing a fi rst-time buyer; aged between property. “Now the next step is to create a plat- dancers and you stop competing. I lived in Lon- championship in a month’s time. So here I am. Championships was launched at the Ennis 18 and 70; earning under €50,000 “I think it’s about time we form for adult competitions where they don until recently and started thinking, ‘I wish I It’s the fi rst time I’ve danced in 25 years,” Gra- event and will be held in Ennis on Novem- single and under €70,000 as joint looked at the current housing list are not in the shadow of children. Danc- could dance again’ but there were no classes who ham said. ber 15. Details are available on www.aidt. applicants; the primary earner in and see how many people would ing is a great form of physical and mental cater for adults. But now what’s happened is in- Another adult Irish dancer, Mags Corry has ie. continuous employment for at succeed under the current criteria least two years, while the second that could actually get a loan. If applicant must have at least one we could get those people a loan year’s employment. and give them a sense of owner- The Housing Agency provides ship, that’s what is badly needed. Gary’s jingle in semi-fi nal an underwriting and support serv- I believe there are some people ice to all local authorities. This who could meet these criteria and Daffodil Day coffee morning central service processes loan why not reduce the criteria and GARY Carroll of Cronan Lawn, Shan- results, he says, “It’s for a company called applications, carries out credit let them pay it off over 40 years or THE Irish Cancer Society has information services and fund for Daffodil Day. More coffee non is one of 10 semi-fi nalists in with a Le Crunch apples. The jingle starts off a checks and issues a recommen- 50 years and let them have some called on people in Clare to research and advocacy cam- mornings around the country chance of picking up €5,000 in a national bit depressing, until I eat 47 apples and dation to the council on each ap- place to call their own. It would host a coffee morning on Daf- paigns. will help ensure that we can radio jingle competition on Today FM. then I’m as high as a kite. It’s basically plication. Applications are stress defi nitely bring down the number fodil Day, on Friday, March Liz Logan, national cam- support more people affected There were hundreds of entries to the about how boring life is until you eat an tested and mortgage repayments of people currently on our hous- 27. paigns manager for the Irish by cancer.” Le Crunch Apples 7G jingle competition, apple.” cannot exceed 35% of household ing lists,” he said. Among the judges are stand-up come- Last year, there were 293 cof- Cancer Society said, “We are Visit cancer.ie/daffodilday which has run for the last three weeks. net income. Councillor Tony O’Brien also dian, Fred Cooke and Today FM’s head supported the motion. fee mornings held all around seeing a big increase in peo- or CallSave 1850 606060 to Speaking about the competition, Gary, Evidence of good fi nancial who is employed at Connor-Windfi eld, of production, Sinead Buckley. The pub- Mr Dollard said the Govern- Ireland on Daffodil Day and ple holding coffee mornings to register a coffee morning at standing must also be shown with said, “I was at work and I heard the thing lic can vote for their favourite jingle on- a payment track record in respect ment is currently looking at an- €3.4 million was raised. This raise money for the Irish Can- home or in work and receive on the radio. I make these silly things on line at www.ouitolecrunch.com. of previous borrowings and also a other house purchase scheme cer Society. It’s a really nice a pack with balloons, posters year, the society needs to raise YouTube where I dub over videos and Voting closes at midnight on Friday good savings record. and said under the present loan their target of €3.5m to con- thing to do for yourself and and a fundraising guide with on some of them I make funny jingles. I and after that fi ve fi nalists will have a A Credit Committee is in place scheme, if people can’t meet the tinue to be able to provide your friends and a really easy everything needed to host the heard about this competition and thought chance in the national fi nal, which takes within the council to make a deci- criteria they are advised not to free nationwide support and and fun way to raise money event. that’s something I could possibly do.” place at Today FM studios on Friday, sion following receipt of the rec- make an application, which saves He got to work on his laptop and of the March 27. ommendation from the Housing them the €150 fee.

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