Stepping into a new chapter
HAVING started out dancing at the age of four, eight-time Munster champion Tomás Ó Sé has reached the latest landmark in his glittering Irish dancing career, recently graduating his TCRG exams at the World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
Tomás, who has also finished as high as third place in the World Championships, took on the five-day examinations in Manchester alongside girlfriend Niamh O’Brien and qualified earlier this year. The 22-year-old, who became an All-Ireland minor medallist with Kerry earlier this decade, has previously toured with groups such as Riverdance and Irish Celtic, and undertook the six exams, which focused on céilí, set, and Irish-dancing and featured oral, written, and musical tests under the watchful eyes of three judges.
It opens a door for the Dún Chaoin man to open his own dancing school as a qualified Irish-dancing teacher – but right now he is focusing on club football with An Ghaeltacht as well as more localised dancing teaching.
“I don’t have any immediate plans to open my own school, but I will help Miriam Ní Shúilleabháin in the Temperence Hall in Dingle,” he told The Kerryman. “All my teachers in Rinceoirí na Ríochta gave me all the help, so I’d like to mention them: Miriam, Tríona Breen, Jimmy Smith, Honor Flynn, and also Scoil an Fheirtéirigh for their help in me getting to this point.”