Celebrating Irish Heritage Month through Dance and Community #CelebrateEverything
Designated Irish Heritage Month in 2022, March is a time to celebrate the culture, traditions and history of Irish people in Canada. For Shayleen McConnell Finucan, Director of the McConnell School of Dance, it is a time to share traditional dance with the next generation.
Established in 1947 by Shayleen’s grandparents Sam and Sarah, McConnell School of Dance provides year-round dance education. “Our primary way of promoting Irish culture during the month of March — and actually (…) throughout the year — is by Irish dance performances,” she says.
This comes to life at the school’s annual St. Patrick’s Fest, now in its 21st year. The event which is open to the public, will be held Saturday, March 14 at the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre and is “very much like an evening of Folklorama,” she explains.
“There is an enormous sense of pride,” Shayleen said, “there’s such a family connection with what I do. It’s what my grandfather did, it’s what my grandmother did, and it’s what my mom and my uncles also did. So for me to be able to see it passed down through me to the next generation it’s just an incredible sense of pride and joy.”
For everyone involved, Irish Heritage Month is, she says, “a huge celebratory time” that her community looks forward to every year.
Learn more about the annual St. Patrick’s Fest celebration on the McConnell School of Dance website.
The Irish Association of Manitoba has a full calendar of activities for March.