Dance in Ireland during the Colonial Era: An Absence of Dominion

Sometimes, collective identities simplify the past, and this was evident, when the British colonised Ireland. Then they were considered “colonisers” and the Irish were the “colonised”. This implied a negative relationship, where politically, the British occupied a hierarchical position. However, this paper identifies a different relationship, in dance. During this time, British travellers, toured Ireland gathering notes for British aristocracy. These notes reflected a genuine respect for Irish folk dance. They also referred to occasions when British Landlords and Irish natives danced together. The paper also identifies a cross fertilisation process, where the British and the Irish adopted and adapted each other’s dance types; these included country dances, court dances and pantomimic dances. Finally, the paper addresses the introduction of the British dance master system, into Ireland in the early 1700s. Then, British Landlords needed to prepare their children for British and European social gatherings. Subsequently, this introduction led to the establishment of a native dance master system, where the Irish also adopted the role of dance master, inside and outside the houses of the landed gentry. In conclusion, although the British were considered “colonisers”, and the Irish were the “colonised” a different relationship existed in dance during the colonial era. There, the mutual respect led to the preservation and development of dance in both countries. Sharon Phelan has lectured in Dance and Cultural Theory at graduate and post-graduate levels in the Munster Technological University in Ireland for over twenty years. She has also performed professionally with Siamsa Tíre, the National Folk Theatre of Ireland, as National Facilitator in Dance with the Department of Education in Ireland and as Artistic Director of the ‘Ionad Culturtha’ (cultural centre) in County Cork. Sharon has delivered and published internationally on dance, and she has written an academic book titled: ‘Dance in Ireland: Steps, Stages and Stories’. Current areas of interest include supervision of arts research at masters and at doctoral levels and the use of distance learning in the teaching of dance in third level. She is also writing another book, which will focus on dance in Ireland during the colonial