Irish Eyes Are Smiling

(From left) Kiera Laramie, Colleen McDonald and Amy Fischbach perform an Irish dance. The girls are students at the McNulty School of Irish Dance, which practices in Crystal Lake. (Photo by Dani Schweigert)

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• To see a video about the McNulty School of Irish Dance, go to MCTV at http://tinyurl.com/ykcpjze.

Irish dancing is filled with tradition and history, and the McNulty School of Irish Dance brings that rich culture to McHenry County.

Barbara McNulty grew up with Irish dancing (she took her first lesson at 4 years old) and founded the McNulty School of Irish Dance in 1971. Her parents, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ireland, belonged to an Irish organization. McNulty used to perform at their club, and, before long, other members asked her to teach their children.

She opened her first school in Naperville and now offers classes in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois, including Duke’s Alehouse and Kitchen in Crystal Lake. The school’s certified through Ireland, and McNulty is T.C.R.G. certified (meaning she’s a Commission Certified Irish Dance Teacher).

“It’s not something I ever imagined myself doing, but I really love it,” McNulty says. “It’s constantly changing, so it’s always new and different.”

The school has eight teachers and more than 200 students from ages 3 to 18. A passion for Irish dance runs in McNulty’s family, as her daughter, Shailagh Heneghan, is one of the school’s instructors. Heneghan began dancing at 3 years old and teaches seven days a week. She said she loves passing on what she has learned to the next generation of dancers.

“I tried ballet and tap, but there’s no history in that,” Heneghan says. “With Irish dancing, I’m doing the same dances and wearing the same costumes people did in Ireland. Teaching was just something I knew I would be doing — there were no second thoughts about it.”

Heneghan said the students perform year-round. They do about two recitals and 400 shows a year, and the older girls compete about once a month.

One of those students is Mary Cate Eklund, a junior at Crystal Lake South High School. Eklund, 16, has been dancing with the McNulty School of Irish Dance for 12 years. She’s a level 7 dancer (the highest level possible in the school) and practices twice a week for about two hours and three to four times a week when she’s preparing for a competition.

The toughest part of Irish dancing, Eklund says, is learning and memorizing the steps.

“I’ve learned a lot about respect for my teachers and other dancers, as well as listening and leadership skills,” she says.

Eklund’s half Irish, and her mom was an Irish dancer, so she’s thrilled to carry on the tradition. She recently won first place in the Younger Than 16 Preliminary Championship category at the Prairie State Feis.

“When you’re little, (performing can be) nerve- wracking, but it’s great to be a part of something people don’t usually see and put it out there,” Eklund says. “It will be a great childhood memory.”

Providing those memories is why McNulty started her school. She said students get the opportunity to travel and see the world, including Ireland. Students will perform March 29 at Disney World.

“We’re an extended family,” McNulty says. “It’s wonderful to see how the kids progress and share our love of Irish dancing.”

Dancing Into Spring
You can see the McNulty School of Irish Dance perform this St. Patrick’s Day and throughout March. See the performance schedule below. For more information about the school, or to book the dancers for a show, call 224-639-8644, e-mail mcnultydancers@aol.com, or go to www.mcnultyirishdancers.com.

• 2 p.m. March 6 — Paddy’s on the Square at Long Grove 
• 7 p.m. March 11 — the Fremont Public Library in Mundelein
• 2 p.m. March 13 — the Irish Boutique in Crystal Lake 
• 2 p.m. March 13 — Paddy’s on the Square at Long Grove
• 2 p.m. March 13 — Emil’s Tavern on Center in Grayslake 
• 7 p.m. March 13 — St. Thomas CC in Crystal Lake  
• 2 p.m. March 14 — Emil’s Tavern on Center in Grayslake
• 3 p.m. March 17 — McGonigal’s Irish Pub in Barrington
• TBA March 17 — Duke’s Alehouse and Kitchen in Crystal Lake
• 7 p.m. March 20 — Johnsburg High School in Johnsburg
• TBA March 29 — Downtown Disney

Times are tentative. E-mail mcnultydancers@aol.com as it gets closer to the date for firm times on performances.