I just love that old spinning wheel. Granny gave me one that belonged to one of her great grandparents. It is over 170 years old and it's currently at my parents place because it won't fit in my small apartment. My parents are selling the house and moving to an apartment in 6 months time so I know that I have to keep it somewhere but where?

Lovely pictures of the old dancing costumes. Keep them coming, please.

Yeah, I love those! They are so sweet! I wish I had some of my great-grandmother. More please!

Here is one from google images. I love in the very first picture the girls with the tin whistles!
-Mal

p.s. (humor the History Major )


Irish women from the 11th or 12th century. They could have danced!

I haven't been online in a long while, and as I have some time on my hands, I thought Id pop in and see what's happening.....I have to tell you, I have really enjoyed this thread, and would love to see more of it! I love looking at photos of "yesteryear" and seeing the evolution of dance, especially the attire! I've been sitting here laughing - thanks for starting my day with some chuckles....

I just bid on this old postcard on eBay. I'll add it to my growing collection!

Here's one from a Boston-based dance school. Not sure of the year.

In the pic you bidded on from the postcard they have buckles on their shoes like the ones we attach now! I love the old soft shoes they look like ballet shoes with an extra bit of elastic haha this is a great post I really enjoyed it

Just received my photo! I got the one w/the man and children playing instruments. I thought I would use it on our Music poster for our school Feis. I was very pleased w/the size,condition and the price!
xxEg

these old photos are great its brilliant to see how much dancing cosumes have changed over the years. i can remember dancing in a class dress when we had on embroadry at eh bottom and wore waistcoats at the top lol

CelticCat, that one is from 1972; it's from O'Shea Chaplin Academy of Irish dance (www.bostonirishdance.com) OSC has been around for over 50 years now.

Thank you, bluedamselfly! It's nice to have a year/location for these photos. I just went to their website and saw the school was started by Rita O'Shea who comes out to California to judge our feiseanna.

Yep, that's right -- there are two AD's at the school which is nice If you look at the more recent photos, there are some that I have taken

There's only one right now, but:

www.flickr.com . . .

Yup, that one above is mine!

I think I'm starting a new collection. Thank you CelticCat for posting the link to the ebay store for these wonderful old photos. I have purchased two companion photos from them. This has been one of the most enjoyable threads I have read in a long time. Thanks everyone!

I absolutely love this post! It's quite entertaining (and just plain interesting) to see how costumes and other dance attire has gone from dresses and cloaks to feathers and sequins!

CelticCat- I love the dress in that picture! i wish dresses (at least class ones) looked like those nowadays

For those of you, who like myself, danced for Cyril McNiff, or even those who remember some guy named Peter Smith, take a look at these! Peter Smith is on the far left in both, Cyril is on the right (in both). Joan McNiff (now Cass) is the very pretty girl in the black and white photo holding Peter Smith's hand.

I have no idea how to put two images in at once. Sorry!

Celtic Cat - that picture you posted - isnt that famous one of The Sligo Girl?

The pictures look great everyone, so interesting.

xxx

xturleygirlx, not sure which one would be the Sligo girl - the girl dancing in the castle or the girl on the door? If I can find the postcard, I'll see what castle it refers to. The other black & white photo from around the turn of the century doesn't refer to a place.

I love the second picture in the post!! It reminds me of how my dance teacher would tell us "back in the day they used to dance on doors" and thats exactly what the picture looks like!