Irish Music & Dance Workshop in Dublin

What better way for your student group to experience some authentic Irish Culture than to listen to live Irish music performed by all Ireland champion musicians and to learn the Jigs and reels of Irish dancing from a professional River dancer!

The Irish music and dance session is an hour-long interactive experience tailored specifically for international student groups.

The session is created by Declan Quinn, Gerry Nolan and the famous musicians and dancers behind the Irish House Party (one of Dublin's Top Attractions & award-winning show running for 14 years).

It is also a fun and interactive experience – we know that student groups don't just want to sit and watch, but they want to get hands-on and involved (yes, teachers, even you have to participate!)

The Irish House Party are one of our firm favourites here at CGH – even performing at our company's 25th anniversary party. Their session was one of the highlights of the night amongst our international partners in attendance. The craic was mighty!

What to expect for your student group from this session?

• The session takes place in The Four Provinces, an authentic Irish pub. It is well connected from Dublin City Centre by public transport; you can take the bus no. 74 from Eden Quay in town that will drop you exactly in front of the pub. Step inside to commence your private Irish music and dance session.
• A live band with three performers from the Irish House Party, consisting of a guitar player/singer, Uilleann piper/flute player or harpist, and an Irish dancer from River Dance who also plays the bodhran, will provide both the entertainment and tuition for this session, especially for your group.
• The session is very interactive with the musicians beginning by doing a couple of songs with the students and explaining our indigenous instruments (harp, Uilleann pipes and bodhran) in a fun way. They begin with popular, well-known Irish favourites such as 'Molly Malone', 'The Wild Rover' or 'The Rattlin Bog' where the students can get involved in singing and percussive clapping sequences. They also teach a song in the Irish Language, which is great fun. A unique aspect of the performance is that they can also throw a contemporary pop song into the mix performed on traditional Irish instruments, which really amazes the students, such as a Justin Bieber or Beyonce number...
• The dancer performs a couple of solo dances before the students are brought onto the dance floor and are taught some simple Irish Ceili dances that the students can pick up very quickly. For example, 'The Circle Dance', where they teach everyone the basic steps, 'The Siege of Ennis' and 'Shoe the Donkey'. They then perform these along with the live music. It's an excellent way for the students to mingle with each other and experience some genuine Irish culture.
• There is also an opportunity for students to perform something themselves in front of their friends, for example, a song from their own country accompanied by the Irish House Party musicians, which always goes down a treat!

Would you also like to taste typical Irish food? Then, why not add a lunch before or after this activity? Please get in touch with us for further details.

If your group is interested in a nightime Irish Music & Dance Experience by the Irish House Party with dinner included, check out what else we can offer here.