Dance yourself happy! Céilí at The Lough is a step to heaven

When Éadaoin Delaney was a teenager, she responded to a call-out looking for volunteers to help run a céilí at The Lough in the summer months.

A mere 25 years later, you can still find Éadaoin, along with a whole team of volunteer dancers and musicians, at The Lough every Wednesday evening from the end of June until just before the kids go back to school.

They guide novice dancers through the steps of iconic dances like The Siege Of Ennis, The WallsOf Limerick, and Shoe The Donkey at what could be Ireland’s most pleasant open-air céilí.

It was Lough local Tony McCarthy, a former All-Ireland champion dancer, who, on his daily laps, had the brainwave that the paved area near the Hawthorn Bar would make a great spot for a bit of dancing.

He roped in some local musicians to play the tunes and on the first night he got passers-by to stop and take part. It worked!

Céilí Cois Locha has grown organically over the years - shifting from Sundays to Wednesdays, expanding the paved dance area, and upgrading from an extension lead run through the trees at The Hawthorn to council-provided power.

Céilí Cois Locha is now a microcosm and celebration of modern Ireland - an intergenerational community event with Irish music and dance enjoyed by a crowd of all colours and creeds.

Young or old, everyone is moved by the music (and Tony’s instructions!), and everyone leaves with a smile on their faces.

There are few occasions you’ll find a tracksuited teenage boy holding hands and doing a few steps with his granny out in public, but you’ll see it at the Céilí Cois Locha.

You’ll also see people from other countries and cultures stepping out to find out how these dances work. Some are visitors on holidays clearly delighted to have stumbled upon this moment of Irish cultural expression in suburban Cork. Others are making Cork their new home and are getting down with the locals who were born and bred at The Lough.

Tony McCarthy, now in his mid-80s, is still calling the steps and is a walking, or rather dancing advertisement for the power of dance to keep you healthy and vital.

Along with Éadaoin, fellow caller Jeff Jones, and volunteer dancers, each dance is demonstrated for newcomers before inviting the crowd onto the floor to join in.

It is some spectacle to see 40 or 50 people do the Siege Of Ennis under the canopy of trees at the side of an urban lake. And when the weather cooperates and you get a sunny and balmy evening, it is a glorious place to be.

There is a group of older attendees who bring their own seats to watch proceedings. They clap along and soak up the atmosphere and might even partake in the slow waltz of the evening.

The disorganised dancing of those who are learning as they go is highly entertaining, so if your dancing days are behind you, it’s still worth coming for the craic.

Sometimes, the place is thronged with Spanish students or busloads of tourists and things can get hectic on the dance floor, I prefer the quieter evenings when there is more of a balance of residents and visitors. More space is more forgiving for dancers like me who are liable to stand on your toe.

It’s a great event for kids, who are welcomed and encouraged to participate regardless of their ability or height! At some stage of the evening, children aged nine or under are invited to come forward and take to the floor and form a líne to do their 1,2,3s for the doting crowd. The band accompanies them, and the results are endearing and adorable.

Some know what they are doing, some are so young they have barely mastered the art of walking, never mind the fancy footwork of Irish dancing. They always get a big cheer as they take their bow. Rightly so - it’s top-notch cute content.

There is always an invitation for anyone in the audience who knows a jig or reel to come out for a solo performance, and I’m always so impressed when young girls are confident and accomplished enough to take to the floor and dance with poise with a hundred pairs of eyes upon them.

Every time I watch them skip around as light as feathers, I lament that I never learned Irish dancing as a child.

Last week, the former Lord Mayor Kieran McCarthy was in attendance and was called out to give a blast of The Banks - he dutifully and beautifully obliged.

Éadaoin’s teenage daughter, Amy, rounds off the evening singing Amhrán na bhFiann. She has been doing it since she was three years old and the crowd sings and cheers at the end - and no doubt suppresses a Pavlovian reflex to shout “C’mon the Rebels” at the end of the national anthem. Or maybe that’s just me.

There’s something heartening about seeing those who once came to the Céilí as children now arriving with youngsters of their own - often joined by granny and grandad - passing on the joy of summer evenings filled with music and set dancing to the next generation.

It is a free, wholesome night out to take your mind off the worries of the world.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, August 20 is the final céilí of the 2025 season. Thank-you to all the volunteers that make it happen year after year.

If you want to dance yourself happy, I highly recommend coming along to trot out your haon, dó, trís.