Revellers put a festive foot forward

AFTER A slow beginning, the St Patrick’s Day Festival céilí generated quite a buzz in Dublin city yesterday evening.

Two dancing cows complete with blond curly wigs and Irish dancing costumes led the crowds at St Stephen's Green in the Walls of Limerick, the Bridge of Athloneand other popular dances.

Music was supplied by Pádraig Ó Sé, Gary O’Brien and friends, and Donegal fiddle players Fidil, made up of Aidan O’Donnell, Damien McGeehan and Ciarán Ó Maonaigh.

Tourists in leprechaun hats were joined by students and commuters on their way home from work all intent on enjoying the music and having a go at the dances. The three-hour event included dancing displays from the Cunningham family from Connemara, who managed to make sean-nós dancing look cool.

Master of ceremonies for the evening was well-known dancer Dearbhla Lennon.

A spokeswoman for the St Patrick’s Day Festival said the céilí was hugely popular with Dublin people and with visitors and had been relocated this year from Earlsfort Terrace to St Stephen’s Green to give people more space to dance.

Among those availing of the extra space was Anna Rudycheva, a student from Russia. She was visiting Dublin with a group of friends who were all couch-surfers, but she had learned her Irish dancing at home.

"I'm not a good dancer, but I like it," she said, breathless after a round of the Siege of Ennis.

Armed with St Patrick’s Day light-up earrings and shamrock socks, Eadaoin ní Fheraghail from Marino in Dublin was attending her third St Patrick’s festival céilí and enjoying herself. But her friend Fionnuala Johnston was not quite so impressed.

“It should have been on St Patrick’s Day. It was better when we could go to the parade and then the céilí,” she said.

However, the lack of drunken people was a bonus, she added.