A Gaelic Gathering - Irish Music & Dance

A feast of Reels, Jigs & Hornpipes from Ireland
Thrilling rhythms of Irish Dancing with traditional tunes
Fiddle, flute, pipes, whistle, bodhran, accordion, guitar & vocals

School Assembly Program

Led by dancer choreographer Máire Clerkin, A Gaelic Gathering was originally created in 2007 for World City, the Music Center’s acclaimed family series at Walt Disney Concert Hall, where it was a smash hit. The six-artist ensemble was developed into a school performance program by funding from the Barbara & Sheldon Pinchuk Fund, with assistance from Barbara Leonard at the Los Angeles Music Center. For students who have never attended a live performance, this riveting assembly can be a transformative experience. Teacher and student feedback has been tremendous. Appealing to all ages, this popular group of dancers and musicians perform lively Reels, Jigs and Hornpipes to excite and educate in equal measure.

We now provide performances statewide – schools, corporate functions, concerts, recitals, TV & film. Our ensemble comprises a pool of a dozen artists and we adapt size and length of shows according to requirements.

We are proud to represent the following organizations:

• The Los Angeles Music Center
• Segerstrom Center for the Arts
• LA County Arts Commission
• Performances to Grow On

Visit the Official A Gaelic Gathering Website

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The music and dance is interspersed with a spoken cultural background narrative, explaining the instruments' origins; describing the dances; the meaning of the songs; the history of figure and stepdancing which link to many other folk traditions. The program includes interactive rhythm games and participatory singing and dancing. It adheres to California Content Arts Standards.

Sticking with the Standards while Entertaining and Interacting

The Artists - we have a talented pool from which to draw:

Máire Clerkin - Artistic Director from London, dancer, choreographer. Teacher / Adjudicator with An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha; writer-actor, performer of one woman show; founder of UK theatre companies The Hairy Marys, Clerkinworks. Directs drama projects for Irish Dance academies nationwide. Teaching Artist with Los Angeles Music Center and Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

Patrick D'Arcy - musician from Ireland. Uilleann piper, whistle, and bodhrán player. Partick has appeared on numerous recordings over the years in all genres of music and has written music for TV. He recently played whistle on the score for the motion picture "Snow White & The Huntsman" for composer James Newton Howard. Since 2010 he has had the privilege to tour extensively from The Waterfront in Belfast to The Grand 'Ol Opry in Nashville with modern hymn writers Keith & Kristyn Getty. This summer he released his debut solo album "Wallop The Spot" to critical acclaim. His credit list includes some familiar figures including Bono (U2), The Kennedy/Shriver Family, Quincy Jones, Daniel Lanois, Oprah Winfrey and David Foster.

Kira Ott - Music Director from Southern California, musician, fiddle, vocals and dancer. Performed at the Ford Amphitheater, Loyola Marymount University, UCLA, and the CTMS Solstice festival where she taught fiddle workshops; numerous festivals in Ireland.

Susan Craig Winsberg Irish wood flute and whistle. Susan comes from Chicago, and has been playing flute since the age of ten. She specializes in many genres of music and has performed extensively throughout the USA, Europe and Canada. She has released four CDs of Scottish and Irish music on her own Craig Records label, and has received two Grammy awards as a member of the all-female Mariachi Divas. Susan currently lives in Los Angeles, where she works as a performer, recording artist, composer, writer and teacher.

Megan Kirk - Megan competes in Irish dance with the Aniar Academy of Irish dance, under the direction of Christine Byrne, T.C.R.G. She has competed at regional, national, and world championships, and has placed 4th in the region, and 24th in the nation. Megan is also currently dancing in the Irish dance show sensation Celtic Legends, and has toured with them across the US, France, and China since early 2009.

Daithí Fisher – started dancing aged four with the McGarrity School of Irish Dance in Belfast. Title-holder several times of Ulster Champion, he trained also with the Doherty School, winning North American Championships, All Ireland, Irish Nationals and was runner up in the World Championships. Daithi has toured throughout Europe and China with acclaimed Irish dance show, Celtic Legends . A certified teacher with the Irish Dancing Commission in Dublin, Daithi now co-runs Fisher-McLeod School of Irish Dance in Southern California.

Ian McLeod – trained at what is now known as the Butler Fearon O'Connor School of Irish Dance, winning the Western US Championships four times. Aged 18 he moved to Belfast and under the Doherty School won two Ulster regional titles, placed top 5 at All Ireland and World Championships, and top 2 at All Scotland and Great Britain Championships. He was part of the All Ireland winning team in Ceili Dancing. A certified teacher with the Irish Dancing Commission in Dublin, Ian now co-runs Fisher-McLeod School of Irish Dance in Southern California.

Casey McLeod – began her Irish dance journey at the age of 6 in Southern California. She danced competitively for 20 years. In 2011 she made the decision to move to Belfast, Northern Ireland to train and dance for the Doherty-Petri school of Irish dance. During her 20 years of competition she won many feisenna, even becoming a 3x ulster champion while living in Belfast, as well as placing top 3 in the All Ireland and World championships. After retiring from competition in 2016 she then became a qualified TCRG and began teaching in Southern California along side Daithi fisher and her brother Ian.

Maeve Croke – started dancing for the Troy school or Irish Dance in her hometown of Waterford, Ireland. Following a successful competitive career, she was selected to join Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance. Maeve was principal dancer with Rhythm of the Dance before touring the world with Riverdance, for which she was Dance Captain. Performance highlights include The Great Hall of the People in Beijing and the Kremlin in Russia. Maeve’s stage and TV credits include The Shaughraun in London’s West Endand The Today Show on NBC. A popular tutor at Camp Rince Ceol, teaching students from all over North America, Maeve currently resides in Los Angeles and runs the Celtic Irish Dance Academy.