Dancing on Doors: An Irish Tradition

Traditional sean-nós (Irish for “old ways”) dancing involves sounding a rhythm while striking the steps, and needs a hard surface – which can be improvised without a wooden floor by dancing on a barrel, board, or even a door taken off its hinges and laid flat.

The skill of a dancer can be demonstrated when he/she tries to produce various steps of a dance within the confines of the small space.

The annual O’Carolan festival, which involves music, street entertainment and the famous door dancing, will take place from August 3 – 6 in the village of Keadue, Roscommon.

Here are some examples of sean-nós dancing:

You can find out more about the festival here.