
		Irish Dance School of Boise, Idaho, Butte and Helena Montana.

Tiernan
News & Events

7&8 August 2009 An Ri Ra Montana Gaelic Festival

A Real Irish Storm

Pelting hail and rain fell on the first afternoon of the Montana Irish Festival last week, but that couldn't dampen the spirits of Tiernan Butte. Our Gaelic storm of dancers persevered, and we were rewarded with sunshine and four outstanding performances--"Our best show ever!" Cindy says.

The entire Tiernan School displayed their best dances Friday afternoon after a full morning of Trinity II Workshops. Colorful dresses sparkled on the John "The Yank" Harrington Stage on West Park Street, and the black and red school colors showed off well under a gray sky. Rain delayed the evening's events, but musicians and dancers splashed through the wet for a brave, if bundled, audience.

We woke to sunshine and blue skies on Saturday. Butte's most skilled dancers opened the early afternoon show in the Mother Lode Theatre, enjoying reels from the Helena Tiernan group afterward. Tiernan Summer Program students took the stage with local band Dublin Gulch, followed by the big finale--a whole Tiernan school show, opened by the big girls in beautiful dresses and the tiniest of colorful fairies. All the dancers, from Cork to Wexford, smiled as they lined up on stage for a huge bow. The audience clapped hard and commented on their prowess. The crowded stage spoke to the success of the Butte program. "I had no idea there were so many of them," one visitor from Big Sky said. "It's so great to see so many kids involved."

Some of our Butte dancers: Cameron, Margaret, Rylee, Shelby, Kate, and Katherine, made a cameo appearance in the Trinity Dancers show--and only the locals could tell that they weren't from Chicago!

The festival ended with a gorgeous evening and a day full of sun and Irish dance--another successful An Rí Rá to mark the end of the dance season.

21 July 2009 Clattering feet and echoing voices

Butte Tiernan families gathered for a ceili party at The Depot to welcome new dancers.

Each class showed off their newest dance steps for the crowd of 200.

Cookies and festival fliers went out the door and a good time was had by all.