John

John is by far the most common name amongst male World Champions with ELEVEN winners bearing the name over the years. They are:

John Burns (Matthews) - 5 titles
John McEntaggart (Matthews) - 1 title
John Corry (Grainger) - 2
John Gallagher (O'Moore) - 2
John Carey (Doherty) - 8
John Jennings (Golden) - 1
John Timm (Richens) - 1
John Lonergan (Kiely-Walsh) - 4
John Fitzgerald (Rinceoirí na Riochta) - 3
John Whitehurst (Carey) - 1
John Mullane-Godley (Mullane-Healy-Godley) - 1
...that adds up to 29 titles won by Johns.

The next most common is Michael with 7 winners - Michael Flatley (Dennehy), Michael McCloskey (McCloskey), Michael Donnellan (Uí Ruaírc), Michael Belvitch (O'Hare), Michael McHugh (Kennedy), Michael Putman (Dennehy) and we're including Michael Pat Gallagher (Aodh Rua) as well. Michaels have won 11 titles between them.

After Michael comes Connor/Conor, with 6 winners - Conor Smith (Griffin-Roddy-O'Loughlin), Conor Hayes (Griffin-O'Loughlin), Conor Holmes (Costello-O'Brien), Connor Walsh (Glendarragh), Connor Carlton (Glendarragh) and Conor O'Sullivan (Scanlon). Our Connors/Conors have racked up 10 titles between them.

Caroline, Fiona, Sinéad

If you're called Caroline, Fiona or Sinéad you've got a good chance of winning the Worlds. Well, not really but they are the most common names among female World Champions. So if you're looking for names for your baby girl, it couldn't hurt to give them one of these names - especially if you've got one of the most common World Champion surnames (coming soon).

The champions were/are...

Caroline O'Leary (O'Regan), Caroline Healy (Nightingale-McDonald and Turley), Caroline Greene (McLaughlin) and Caroline Gray (McGahan-Lees).

Fiona Sheridan (Turley), Fiona Gaye Snowden (Ransley), Fiona Harold (Oirialla) and Fiona Dargan (Rince na Tiarna).

Sinéad Fallon (Tracey Scanlon and Morgan), Sinéad McLaughlin (McLaughlin), Sinéad Ellis (Sean Eireann McMahon) and Sinéad Carson (Doherty).

Carolines won 9 titles between them, Fionas won 7 and Sinéads have won 8 so far.

We caved

Search for Irish Dance Facts on Facebook. We caved! But it'll let you share your own facts, photos and more!

Turley Champions

Here are the Turley champions and the number of titles they won, plus which years. Amazing school! Congratulations Marion and Roisin.

Celine Wiley = 4

U11, 1972

U13, 1973 and 1974

U17, 1978.

Fiona Sheridan = 2

U11, 1975

U13, 1976.

Deirdre McLaughlin = 6

U11, 1978

U13, 1979

U15, 1981

U15, 1982

U17, 1983

U17, 1984.

Monica Buchcik = 1

Senior Ladies O17, 1978.

Veronica Meehan = 3

U11, 1980

U13, 1981

U13, 1982.

Caroline Healy = 1

U17, 1989.

(plus u11 in 1983 while dancing for the Nightingale-McDonald school)

Roisin Turley-Gibbons = 5

Unbeaten for 5 years from U14 in 1994 to U19 in 1998.

Emma King = 1

U11, 1997.

Ciara Sexton = 5

U15, 2003

U16, 2004

U17, 2005

U19, 2007

Senior Ladies O21, 2010

George Ferguson = 1

U17, 1972.

Colin Dunne = 8
U13, 1981
U15, 1982
U17, 1984
U17, 1985
U19, 1987
Senior Men O19 - 1989, 1990, 1991.
(plus u11 in 1978 while dancing for the Comerford school).

Transfer champions...

Not including dancers whose schools have undergone slight changes (e.g. teaching leaving/joining):

Grainne Feely – Cullen/Cullen-O’Donoghue and Hynes

Caroline Healy – Nightingale-McDonald and Turley

Eimear Murphy – Inis Ealga and Cadwell-Cawte

Sinéad Fallon – Tracey Scanlon and Morgan

Therese Corless – Anthony Costello and Aaron Crosbie

Colin Dunne – Comerford and Turley

Kevin Nealon – McCaffrey and Kelly

Liam Harney – Greene and Plummer

Ronan McCutcheon – Setanta/McCutcheon and Caroline Greene

Fergal Keaney – O’Brien and Hession

Gerard Carson – Reid and Doherty

Sean Downes – Anthony Savage and McCutcheon

Congratulations to @mduckworth10 and @HelloCourtnaaay for correctly guessing Ronan, Sean and Therese. I didn't include Joe Bitter, because although he won titles for both the Doherty and Carey schools, John Carey was originally a teacher with Danny Doherty.

ALL TIME BOYS LIST

Here we gooo...

1st = Colm O'Sé (Uí Shé), 11 titles
2nd = Kevin McCormack (Uí Shé), 10 titles
3rd = Colin Dunne (Comerford / Turley), 9 titles
4th = John Carey (Doherty), 8 titles
5th = Kevin Nealon (McCaffrey / Kelly), 7 titles
6th = Ronan McCutcheon (Setanta / Caroline Greene), 6 titles
7th = John Burns and Jimmy Johnson (Matthews), Fergal Keaney (O'Brien / Hession), Gerard Carson (Reid / Doherty) and Joe Bitter (Doherty / Carey), 5 titles each

12th = Eoin O Suilleabhain (Uí Nualláin), Aaron Crosbie (Inis Ealga), Cian O Nualláin (Uí Nualláin), Christopher Doyle (Armstrong), Eanna Ryan (Costello-O'Brien / O'Brien), Declan McHale (Doherty), Anthony Fallon (Náomh Padraíg), Connor Walsh (Glendarragh), John Lonergan (Kiely-Walsh) and Sean Downes (Anthony Savage / McCutcheon), 4 titles each

22nd = Bertie Roddy and Tony Roddy (Matthews), Raymond Stewart (Hession), Seamus Conlon (Inis Ealga), Brian Grant (Grant), Gareth Unsworth (King), James Devine (Dal gCais), Bobby Fox (O'Reilly), Shane Ryan (Costello-O'Brien) and John Fitzgerald (Rinceoirí na Riochta), 3 titles each

32nd = Peter O'Hare (Heaney), Dan Armstrong (McAleer), Francis Agnew (Uí Rodáigh), Kieran Lynch (Griffin-O'Loughlin), Tim O'Hare (Plummer), John Corry (Grainger), John Gallagher (O'Moore), Donal Conlon (Inis Ealga), Daire O Nualláin (Uí Nualláin), Liam Harney (Greene / Plummer), Michael Patrick Gallagher (Aodh Rua), Michael Donnellan (Uí Ruaírc), Pat Roddy (Uí Rodáigh), Stephen McAteer (Butler), Damien Noone (Costello), Alan Fox (Oirialla), Michael Belvitch (O'Hare), Raymond Walls (McCaul), David Lydon (Costello-O'Brien), James Keegan (Lally), Nicholas Fallon (King), Dean Crouch (Claddagh), Michael McHugh (Kennedy), Shane Kelly (Broesler), Ciaran Plummer (Plummer), Timothy Kochka (Davis), Thomas Duerin (Kenny), Andrew Trill (Costello), Garrett Coleman (Burke), David Geaney (Rinceoirí na Riochta), Stephen Carolan (Oirialla),  Dermot Cullen (Margaret O'Loughlin), Richard Murray (Higgins), James Breen (Murchu-Duiginn), Connor Carlton (Glendarragh), James Greenan (Mona ní Rodaígh), Caolan McKeating-Lynch (Mulvenna) and Jack Quinn (Uí Shé) - 2 titles each.

70th = John McEntaggart (Matthews), Peter Boylan (Kavanagh), George Ferguson (Turley), Brendan Brady (St Chad's), Gerard Doherty (McLaughlin), Eoin O'Brien (Uí Nualláin), Martin Brennan (Walsh), Michael Flatley (Dennehy), Stephen Gallagher (Golden), Gerald McWilliams (Kelly), E Lee (Lally), Emmanuel Harrison (Harrison), Declan Burke (Hussey), Jamie Fahey (Griffin-O'Loughlin), Thomas Kearns (Hession), Michael McCloskey (McCloskey), Niall Reagan (Inishfree), John Jennings (Golden), Paddy O'Donnell (Kildare), Niall Kirwan (Dal gCais), Ronan Sherlock (Uí Shé), Conor Smith (Griffin-Roddy-O'Loughlin), John Timm (Richens), Anthony Sharkey (Uí Ruaírc), Conor Hayes (Griffin-O'Loughlin), Marty Dowds (Vourneen McLoughlin), Darren Smith (Grant), Paul Cusick (O'Hare), Alan Kenefick (Cowhie-Ryan), David Bellwood (MOS), Conor Holmes (Costello-O'Brien), Antoin O'Searcaigh (Uí Ruaírc), Sean Hennigan (Griffin-O'Loughlin), Liam Tighe (Jackson-Kelly), Tim Seeman (Tim O'Hare), Aidan Garvey (Mona ní Rodáigh), Alan Scarriff (Mairead ní Fhlaitheartha), Stephen Brunning (Glendarragh), Kieran Lockhart (Aaron Crosbie), Ryan Stevenson (Taylor), Edward Searle (Doherty), Gary Collins (Brady-Scanlan), Trent Kowalik (Inishfree), Jason Hays (McTeggart), Shaun Higgins (Aisling), Stephen Brennan (McGahan-Lees), Ryan McCarthy (Schade), Byron Tuttle (SEM), Colm Conneely (Hession), Ryan Bleach (Deegan), Aidan McGinley (McConomy), Owen Barrington (Comerford), Jordan McCormick (Lambe), Michael Putman (Dennehy), Scott Doherty (O'Shea Chaplin), John Whitehurst (Carey), Eamonn Kitching (Conway-Lally), Drew Lovejoy (McGing), John Mullane-Godley (Mullane-Healy-Godley), Conor O'Sullivan (Scanlon), Ronan Kelly (Sylvan Kelly), Gerard Byrne (McNelis-Cunningham), Peter Dziak (Trinity), Cathal Keaney (Hession), Jan Gaca (Ceim Oir) and Morgan Comer (Doherty) - 1 title each.

It'll be all change after the Worlds next year no doubt!

ALL TIME GIRLS LIST

This might take a while to type! The all-time list of female World Champions is...

1st = Grainne Feely (Cullen / Cullen-O'Donoghue / Hynes schools) - 10 titles
2nd = Catriona Hale (Doherty Academy) and Deborah O'Keefe (Cowhie-Ryan) - 8 each
4th = Mairead Gray (Inis Ealga) - 7
5th = Deirdre McLaughlin (Turley), Sorcha McCaul (Uí Rodáigh), Bernadette Flynn (Browne), Aoife Curley (Oirialla), Michelle Lawrence (Uí Nualláin) and Lauren Early (Doherty) - 6 each

11th = Maria Wogan (Walsh), Imelda Florence (Walsh), Frieda Gray (Inis Ealga), Caroline Greene (McLaughlin), Julie Regan (Kinsella), Róisín Turley-Gibbons (Turley), Ciara Sexton (Turley) and Claire Greaney (Hession) - 5 each

19th = Celine Wiley (Turley), Ann Gallagher (Maguire-Way / Maguire-O'Shea), Mandy Hennigan (Tyrrell / Tyrrell-Wallder), Tracey Taaffe (Inis Ealga), Eileen Martin (Uí Shé), Emma Jane Lavin (Duffy), Erin Davidson (Oirialla), Elan McConomy-Bradley (McConomy), Aisling O'Meara (Sheila Hayes), Suzanne Coyle (McLaughlin) and Niamh Taylor (Doherty) - 4 each

30th = Catherine Cronin (Uí Nualláin), Kathleen O'Shea (Kavanagh), Veronica Meehan (Turley), Carol Leavy (Uí Rodaígh), Michelle McKittrick (Duffy), Fiona Harold (Oirialla), Joanne Kavanagh (McConomy), Stephanie De Paor (Costello-O'Brien), Ellie Maguire (Maguire-O'Shea), Kelly Stephens (Doherty), Shannon Daly (Grainne Feely), Therese Corless (Anthony Costello / Aaron Crosbie), Ashley Smith (Smith-Houlihan), Megan Kerrigan (Kenny), Cyra Taylor (McConomy), Michaela Hinds (Butler-Fearon-O'Connor), Sinéad Carson (Doherty) - 3 each

47th = Marian Cleary (Uí Nualláin), Maureen Duffy (Kildare), Fiona Sheridan (Turley), Denise Sherlock (Uí Eilí), Vourneen McLoughlin (De Glin), Marian Walsh (Griffin-O'Loughlin), Ann Coleman (Hynes), Caroline Healy (Nightingale-McDonald / Turley), Bernadette Trainor (Griffin-O'Loughlin), Karen Gleeson (Morgan), Martina O'Mahony (Uí Nualláin), Tara Barry (Cowhie-Ryan), Louise Connolly (Oirialla), Arlene ní Bhaoill (Duffy), Leona McCarron (McCarron), Carol Hetherington (Ní Chearra O Baoláin), Eva McGettigan (Aodh Rua), Sinéad Fallon (Tracey Scanlon / Morgan), Eimear Murphy (Inis Ealga / Cadwell Cawte), Noelle Curran (Peter Smith), Tanya Crooks (Damien Donnelly), Sinéad McLaughlin (McLaughlin), Leanne Curran (Mona ní Rodáigh), Kathy Irvine (Butler-Fearon), Siobhán Casey (Stanley-Carroll), Heather Carr (Sylvan Kelly), Gabriella Wood (Petri), Katherine Vincent (Murchu-Duiginn), Donna Griffin (Sheila Hayes), Shauna Ryan (Uí Nualláin), Shannon Bradley (Doherty), Ann Paige Turilli (Inishfree) = 2 each

79th = Margaret Mullen (Walsh), Maranna Clarke (O'Moore), Ruth Pentony (Pentony), Catherine McConnell (O'Moore), Maureen Sheridan (Crean), Emer ní Mhaoleidigh (Inis Ealga), Caroline O'Leary (O'Regan), Frances Reid (Inis Ealga), Maria Cronin (Deegan), Patricia Brown (Hession), Janey McGardle (Matthews), Monica Buchcik (Turley), Fiona Gaye Snowden (Ransley), Anne Marie Doyle (Nightingale), Ruth Garrett (Butler), Julie Loughlin (Maguire-O'Shea), Elizabeth Murphy (Inis Ealga), Gemma Carney (Hession), Chelsea Muldoon (Buchcik), Siobhán Lambert (MOS), Dara ní Shé (Uí Shé), Maria Gray (Inis Ealga), Stacey Lynch (O'Moore), Kerry Hutchinson (Cowhie-Ryan), Suzanne Cleary (Cowhie-Ryan), Orla Clarke (Hynes), Niamh Roddy (Uí Rodáigh), Arlene O'Brien (Uí Shé), Emma King (Turley), Kelly Hendry (Hannon Murphy), Emma Robinson (Morgan), Tara McConomy-Hegarty (McConomy), Theresa O'Sullivan (McLoughlin), Jordan Osborne (McLaughlin), Paula McManus (Sean Eireann McMahon), Amy Siegal (Peter Smith), Aishling Fox (Mona ní Rodáigh), Aoife Clarke (Hynes-Feely), Darinagh White (Clifford-Crosbie), Róisín Timoney (Jackson-Kelly), Deborah Whelan (Aaron Crosbie), Sinéad Ellis (Sean Eireann McMahon), Angela Crowley (Scanlon), Aoife Kennedy (Jackie O'Leary), Linda Martyn (O'Brien), Clodagh Roper (Domican), Fionnuala McDaid (McConomy), Kevinah Dargan (Rince na Tiarna), Carla O'Brien (Mona ní Rodáigh), Etain Mulvenna (Mulvenna), Caroline Gray (McGahan-Lees), Marnie Smith (Butler-Fearon-O'Connor), Nicole Zepcevski (Aisling), Codie Shiels (McConomy), Rebecca Reed (Murchu-Duiginn), Megan Ryan (McConomy), Maggie Darlington (Claddagh Cali), Sarah Lennon (Doherty), Lizzie Ellis (Aaron Crosbie), Fiona Dargan (Rince na Tiarna), Mary McEvoy-Morgan (Kennedy), Caoimhe ní Bhaoláin (Ní Chearra O Baoláin), Cecily Charlton (McGahan-Lees), Deirdre Robinett (McGing), Julia O'Rourke (Petri), Amy Mae Dolan (McConomy), Keeva Corry (Croghan-Greene), Brogan McKay (McConomy), and Emily Penner (Butler-Fearon-O'Connor) - 1 each

It'll be all change after Belfast no doubt!

Marie Duffy

Marie Duffy's school won 9 titles in just three years between 1989 and 1992. Emma Jane Lavin won 4, Michelle McKittrick won 3 & Arlene ní Bhaoill won 2, putting the school joint 19th on all-time list. Marie also won many titles when teaching with the Inis Ealga school.

Fallon

In 2000 three World Champs were called Fallon (no relation?)

 

Sinead Fallon, Morgan = u17 girls

Anthony Fallon, Náomh Padraíg = u17 boys

Nicholas Fallon, King = u19 men

Even ages

Boys didn't get even-year age groups til 2002! The winners were:

 

u12 Ronan McCutcheon, Setanta

u14 Liam Tighe, Sylvan Kelly

u16 Shane Kelly, Broesler

u18 Tim Seeman, Tim O'Hare

Seniors

The oldest Worlds age group used to be Over 17.

 

Over 19 first appeared in 1980, winners were Ann Gallagher (Maguire-Way) and John Corry (Grainger).

 

Over 21 was introduced in 1996 - the first winners were Sorcha McCaul (Uí Rodáigh) and Conor Hayes (Griffin-O'Loughlin).

Australia

Australia's first world champ was Fiona Gaye Snowden in 1980 who danced for the Ransley school. Conor Hayes, a native Australian, won in 1996 while dancing for the Griffin-O'Loughlin school in London. It was another ten years then two champs came at once! Nicole Zepcevski & Shaun Higgins both won in 2006, dancing for the Aisling school.

Canada

The first Canadian to win a world title was Ruth Garrett (Butler school) who won u19 in 1981. The first male was Brian Grant (Grant), in 1983.

North-West England

In 1978 the North West England region had two mens champs - Emmanuel Jackson (Jackson, Leeds) won u17 and John Corry (Grainger, Manc) won Senior Mens Over 17.

Ties

There's only ever been one tie for a world title in the boys - in 1999, David Bellwood (Maguire-O'Shea) and Michael Belvitch (Tim O'Hare) tied for u17.

There have been three ties in the girls though - in 1971 Catherine Cronin (Uí Nualláin) and Imelda Florence (Walsh, Dublin) tied for U17.

In 1980 Fiona Gaye Snowden (Ransley, Australia) and Mairead Gray (Inis Ealga, Dublin) tied for u17 too.

And most recently in 1991 there was a tie for girls u11 between Louise Connolly (Oirialla) and Deborah O'Keefe (Cowhie-Ryan, Cork).

ALL TIME LIST

The all-time list of solo World Champion-producing schools is:

1st = Turley, Coventry (36 titles)
2nd = Uí Shé and Inis Ealga, Dublin (30 each)
4th = Uí Nualláin, Limerick (27)
5th = Doherty Academy, Coventry (23)
6th = Doherty, Belfast (22)
7th = McConomy, Derry and Matthews and Oirialla, Dundalk (18 each)
10th = Hession, Galway (15)

11th = Uí Rodáigh, Dundalk (14)
12th = McLaughlin, Glasgow (13)
13th = Cowhie-Ryan, Cork and Walsh, Dublin (12 each)
15th = Costello-O'Brien, Limerick (11)
16th = Griffin-O'Loughlin, London and Butler-Fearon-O'Connor, Canada/California and Maguire-O'Shea, London (10 each)
19th = Duffy, Dublin (9)
20th = Cullen, Dublin (8)

21st = Glendarragh, Mona ní Rodáigh (7 each)
23rd = Anthony Costello, Browne, Hynes, Sheila Hayes (6 each)
27th = Carey, Kelly, Kind, Plummer, Rinceoirí na Riochta, O'Brien, Kenny, Murchu-Duiginn, Sylvan Kelly, Aaron Crosbie, Kinsella = 5 each

38th = Dal gCais, Grant, Kiely-Walsh, McCutcheon, Náomh Padraíg, O'Hare, O'Reilly, Aodh Rua, Inishfree, Kavanagh, O'Moore, Morgan, Tyrrell = 4 each

51st = Armstrong, Caroline Greene, Lally, Uí Ruaírc, Kennedy, Mulvenna, McCarron, McGahan-Lees, Sean Eireann McMahon, Grainne Feely, Ní Chearra O Baoláin, Peter Smith, Petri, Smith-Houlihan = 3 each

65th = Broesler, Burke, Davis, Dennehy, Heaney, Higgins, Margaret O'Loughlin, McAleer, McCaffrey, McCaul, Setanta, Aisling, Deegan, McGing, Scanlon, Damien Donnelly, De Glin, Kildare, Nightingale, Rince na Tiarna, Stanley-Carroll, Uí Eilí = 2 each

87th = Anthony Savage, Ard-Rialla, Brady-Scanlan, Claddagh, Comerford Birmingham, Comerford Washington, Conway-Lally, Golden, Grainger, Greene, Hussey, Jackson, Lambe, Mairead ní Fhlaitheartha, McCloskey, McTeggart, Mullane-Healy-Godley, O'Shea-Chaplin, Reid, Richens, Schade, St Chad's, Taylor, Vourneen McLaughlin, Wogan, McNelis-Cunningham, Trinity, Ceim Oir, Buchcik, Cadwell-Cawte, Claddagh (California), Crean, Domican, Griffin, Hannon Murphy, Jackie O'Leary, McLoughlin, O'Regan, Pentony, Ransley, Tracey Scanlon, Croghan Greene = 1 each

That's 128 schools and...619 titles!

339 girls titles and 280 boys titles overall, 150 individual girls winners and 134 individual gents.

Doherty 2

Doherty (Belfast) won its first World titles in 2006 but in just five years they've won a total of 22nd placing them sixth on the all-time list!

 

The title winners are:

 

Lauren Early = 6

Gerard Carson = 5

Niamh Taylor = 4

Sinéad Carson = 3

Shannon Bradley = 2

Sarah Lennon = 1

Morgan Comer = 1

 

Gerard and Sarah are now TCRGs - the rest are still competing so could win even more!

Double figures

Only three dancers have ever won World titles into the double figures:

Colm O'Sé, Scoil Rince Uí Shé = 11
1983 - 1992 unbeaten, and 1994

Grainne Feely, Cullen / Cullen-O'Donoghue / Hynes Schools = 10
1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986,  1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994

Kevin McCormack, Scoil Rince, Uí Shé = 10
1982 - 1990 unbeaten, and 1992

3 titles

Michaela Hinds (Butler-Fearon-O'Connor) is the first Canadian to win 3 World titles (so far!), and also the first North American to win three consecutive titles. Ashley Smith is the only other North American with 3 titles.

Youngest Winners

Kevinah Dargan became the youngest North American girl ever to win a World title in 2005 when she won u11. Previously the youngest North American girl was Ashley Smith, who was u17 winner in 2004.

Kevinah is now tied as the youngest North American female to win the worlds, with sister Kevinah (who won in 2008) and Julia O'Rourke, winner in 2010.

Kevinah and Fiona dance for Rince na Tiarna, Julia O'Rourke for Petri, and until retiring Ashley Smith danced for her parents at Smith-Houlihan in Boston.

Sinéad Carson

At the North American Championships in 2001, future 3-time World Champ Sinéad Carson came 33rd. How's that for inspiration to work your way up to the very, very top!

Doherty

Who was 3rd in Boys u17 at the Worlds 1996? One Gavin Doherty. Ever heard of him? Sister Seaneen was 4th in Ladies U19, 1992.

Therese Corless

The biggest gap between World titles is seven years - Therese Corless won u11 and u12 in 2003 and 2004 for the Anthony Costello school, and then won her third title in 2011 dancing for the Aaron Crosbie school.

Sisters

Mairead & Frieda Gray from the Inis Ealga school in Dublin won 13 titles between them in the 1970s & '80s, a record for sisters! Mairead won 7 and Frieda won 5. A Maria Gray also won a World title for the same school, is she related?

Up & Over It

Up & Over It star Suzanne Cleary won the Worlds in 1992 - and probably would have won more if she wasn't in the same age group as 6-time champion Bernadette Flynn! Suzanne danced for the Cowhie-Ryan school in Cork, and Bernadette for the Browne school in Tipperary.

Clifford-Crosbie

At the Worlds 2000, the Clifford-Crosbie school had 3 dancers in the O21 Ladies Top 5 - Darinagh White 1st, Julie Bristow 4th and Karen Godfrey 5th. The school later divided into two branches - Kathleen Clifford teaches in the Midlands region and Aaron Crosbie teaches with Alice Reddin and Laura Delargy in London.

Joe Bitter

Joe Bitter is currently unbeaten in major championships since 2008 - first at EVERY event in the calendar in 2009 and 2010. And to date in 2011!

McConomy School

The McConomy school has recently divided into two branches, so we dedicated a few tweets to these amazing teachers...

- At the age of just 12, Brogan McKay has won 9 major titles including the Worlds, and has also won the Ulsters 3 times consecutively.

- The McConomy school is joint 7th on the all-time list of aolo World Champion-producing schools, with 18 titles. They are tied with Matthews, which is now closed, and Oirialla, which merged with Leonard to form the Ard-Rialla school (now Ard-Rialla-O'Donoghue).

- Their first World Champion was Joanne Kavanagh in 1997. Elizabeth's daughter Tara also won her first title later in the week. Joanne won 3 titles in all, as has Cyra Taylor. Rosetta's daughter Elan won 4 - the most a dancer from the school has won.

- 1 of McConomy's 18 titles went to a boy - Aidan McGinley, who won u21 in 2008. With 17 female World titles the school is 3rd in the girl's all-time league.

- The daughters of both McConomy sisters won World titles and are now TCRGs (Tara McConomy-Hegarty is an ADCRG). She won u21 in 1997, while cousin Elan McConomy-Bradley won four in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2003.

100 club

The 100th female to win a solo World Championship was Deborah Whelan, Aaron Crosbie School. She won u14 girls in 2002.

The 100th male was Dermot Cullen, Margaret O'Loughlin School. He won senior mens in 2005, then again in 2007, and is now a TCRG.

There have been 150 female World Champions to date, with the most recent being Emily Penner (Butler-Fearon-O'Connor), Brogan McKay (McConomy) and Keeva Corry (Croghan-Greene).

There have been 134 male World Champions, with the most recent being Morgan Comer (Doherty), Jan Gaca (Ceim Oir) and Cathal Keaney (Hession).

Ulster

In 2009 there were eight World Champions from Ulster - a record amount of wins from a single region. They were:

Cyra Taylor, McConomy (u11)
Shannon Bradley, Doherty (u12)
Sinéad Carson, Doherty (u15)
Lauren Early, Doherty (u18)

Caolan McKeating-Lynch, Mulvenna (u14)
Michael McHugh, Kennedy (u18)
James Greenan, Mona ní Rodáigh (u19)
Gerard Carson, Doherty (u21)

Intro

Sending you an Irish dance fact of the day, every day. Or sometimes more often. Like today, when I'm posting a million facts to catch up to our Twitter feed. Follow us @IrishDanceFacts !!