‘I want to bring back social dancing to curb loneliness epidemic’

Polish off your dancing shoes and get ready for one of the most exciting events of the year, because for the first time the immersive theatre experience The Devil’s In The Dancehall is coming to Cork.

A fantastic night of fun is promised when the show hits two Cork venues - Bere island on September 17 as part of its arts festival, and at Cork City Hall on the 18th for a free event to celebrate Culture Night.

The project was developed by multi-talented Leitrim sean-nós dancer Edwina Guckian, who will be making her way south with a crew of 37, including actors, dancers, technicians, and the musicians of The Gralton Big Band, headed up by singer Cathy Jordan, with musical director Stephen Doherty.

Dressing up in 1930s garb for the shows is optional but encouraged, and you don’t have to be able to dance either, only bring a spirit of defiance against the suppression of enjoyment and fun - because that is what this event is all about.

“We’re all about bringing back the craic,” said Edwina, who grew up in the village of Drumsna close to where the infamous Jimmy Gralton ran his dance hall in the Leitrim townland of Effrinagh.

His venue was burned to the ground in 1932 when he was denounced from the pulpit by priest Fr Joe Cosgrove, who accused him of destroying the moral fibre of the community with his ‘den of iniquity’ - the local dance hall.

Jimmy was actually sent to America as he held an American passport, and is said to be the only Irish citizen ever officially deported.

His story was depicted in the Ken Loach film Jimmy’s Hall which Edwina worked on as a choreographer, and The Gralton Big Band derives its name from him.

“ The Devil’s In The Dancehall story was spread to scare people off going dancing,” said Edwina.

“The priest said that Jimmy Gralton himself was the devil, so Jimmy went and knocked on the door of the parochial house and said, I’m here to have my horns fitted’.”

Edwina added: “The whole idea for this project started when I was awarded the Markievicz award in 2023.

“I was researching the role of women in dance from the 1920s onwards and then this led to a project award so I could create a dance event.

“My research led me to the role played by the Church in the suppression of women, of dance and enjoyment, which ultimately led to the Public Dance Hall Act of 1935, which transformed the cultural life of Ireland forever.”

This legislation made it illegal to hold public dances without a licence, which had to be bought, which was not always possible.

Permission also had to be obtained from the local priests and guards, another potential stumbling block.

Therefore, people gathering for dances in barns, fields, rambling houses, or at the crossroads - all these social gatherings were effectively shut down.

“There are stories of priests coming into houses to break up dances and throwing musical instruments into the fire - imagine watching your precious fiddle going up in flames!” said Edwina.

“What’s incredible to think about is that this law is still in place today. It’s still illegal to have a social dance without a licence.”

Some of the advertisements for The Devil’s In The Dancehall events which Edwina and her team started last November took snippets from old copies of the Leitrim Observer where Fr Cosgrove described the dance hall as “a temptation of the flesh,” stating that “where Jazz is played, sin is never far behind”.

It was a regular occurrence that priests and nuns marched up and down parish halls separating couples who were deemed to be dancing too close with entreaties of “leave room for your guardian angel’’.

“Women were being told not to expose their elbows or their knees, and not to wear lipstick,” explained Edwina.

(Who knew elbows could be so enticing? “I fell in love with her elbows” said no-one ever.)

In 1954, the ‘devil’ was allegedly spotted again in Tooreen Co. Mayo.

“The story goes that a very handsome man spent the night dancing with a local woman, Briget O’Flynn who was whisked off her feet by him, feeling like she was floating on air,” said Edwina.

“When he bent down to pick up the box of matches he had dropped, Briget noticed that instead of feet he had hooves.

“I am not sure who put that story out, but from my research I strongly suspect it was Monsignor Horan himself, the same man who started Knock Airport. He was a clever businessman,” said Edwina.

Indeed, the adage ‘There’s no such thing as bad publicity’ held true. The story made the headlines all over Ireland and the UK, and instead of scaring people away, Tooreen became one of the most successful ballrooms during that era.

“The loneliness epidemic in Ireland concerns me, which is one of the reasons I want to re-instigate social dancing,” said Edwina.

“During my research, I asked a group of 17-25 year olds, ‘Where do you go dancing’? ‘We don’t’, they said.”

Edwina is on a mission to change this by touring her spectacular event around Ireland, so if you want a bit of devilment then head for the dance hall.

For more details, see https://www.edwinaguckian.com

The Devil’s In The Dancehall is at Bere island Arts festival on September 17 and Cork City Hall on September 18. Free event.