I’M LIVING MY DREAM THROUGH MY DAUGHTER
Marian Keogh, 50, a sales and business developer, lives in north-West London with husband Dermot, 46, a builder, and daughter aoifeMai, ten. Marian says:
When I was little, I loved Irish dancing but I didn’t have the chance to continue. So when Aofie-Mai was seven, I started sending her to classes. I want to give her every possible chance. I suppose I’m living my dream through her.
At first, it was just for fun, but she is naturally talented and has won trophies and medals. She dances four times a week and has between 15 and 20 competitions a year.
She even won a world medal in a team dance when she was nine, which is quite a feat.
Irish dancing has two types of routines, soft shoe or hard shoe, and Aofie does both. But she prefers hard shoe because of the rhythm. It’s very tough to master and she practises 15 hours a week.
It’s a very expensive hobby. We can’t afford family holidays any more, so whenever we’re travelling around the UK or Ireland for competitions, we treat it as a break. My husband comes, too, occasionally, but because he’s self-employed he doesn’t get paid for days off.
Flights to Ireland cost around £300, the average hotel is £600 a weekend and then there are all the meals and snacks, and taxis from the airport. each trip costs around £1,200.
It’s a crazy world of false eyelashes, fake tan and so much make-up — but the girls adore it. I found the heavy make-up a bit strange at first, and still think there’s no need.
The dresses are very elaborate and cost around £2,000 each. We go to a designer called eire Designs by Gavin Doherty because they’re top quality. To have a Gavin dress is amazing.
We do make sacrifices. I no longer have a social life and hardly any time for myself.
My husband and I hope she sticks at it, though, because it teaches discipline, hard work, helps her fitness and builds friendships. I do fear adding up the cost. I often think about what I could do with that money, but I love seeing her on the stage.