Irish dancers make it to New York for parade
NOT even Storm Stella, the snowstorm that battered New York last week, could stop a group of fifty dancers and their 70-strong entourage from making it to the Big Apple for Friday’s St Patrick’s Day parade.
The Power School of Dancing group did not know on Tuesday if they were going to be able to travel, having saved for the trip for months, but thanks to Aer Lingus and the determination of Catherine Ronan the dancers took off on Wednesday afternoon and made it to America. Ms Ronan said: ‘I knew at 7 p.m. on Monday night that the flight was cancelled but it took until 8 a.m. the next morning to get through to the group bookings department of Aer Lingus. They were absolutely fantastic.’
The dancers were representing County Wexford at the New York St Patrick’s Day Parade and were booked to dance at an Irish pub called Jack Doyle’s on Wednesday night. This was changed for the group to dance at an Irish pub on Thursday.
Wearing pink and navy half slips and tracksuit bottoms, the dancers marched through the city under the Wexford banner during the parade.
‘It was absolutely amazing. It didn’t rain but it was freezing. We were at the end of the parade and Kilkenny were ten behind us which was great,’ Ms Ronan said.
‘ The girls and boys and parents really enjoyed it. Some met up with brothers and sisters they hadn’t seen in years.’
38 of the group returned as initially planned on Saturday, with the remaining travellers returning on Sunday and Monday.
‘ The hotel kept the rooms for them with no extra charge. Everyone had the time of their lives,’ she said.