SEAMUS KERRIGAN:SEAMUS KERRIGAN of Ballinascreen (Draperstown), Co Derry, who has died aged 88, was probably the last of the travelling dancing masters, and one of the most significant figures in the world of Irish dancing.
He taught Irish dancing for 72 years, his first class when he was 16 and his final one in November last year.
He helped found Comhdháil Na Múinteoirí le Rincí Gaelacha, the body which brings together Irish dancing teachers. He was recognised as one of the leading teachers, his pupils winning numerous championships. Many Irish dancing teachers in the North were his former pupils, or former pupils of his pupils.
Riverdancewas not his style, but did increase interest in Irish dancing; so he made an instructional video. Amazon's review was positive: "A trim, no-nonsense man, Kerrigan couldn't be called a sparkling camera presence, but in this case, his unaffected style works for the beginner. None of that Riverdance-type flash. Kerrigan, accompanied by a couple of his dancers in a very modest-looking studio, slowly walks you through the basic steps of the light jig, the reel and other steps. And he does it the only way most of us two-left-footed types can learn: by slowly repeating the pattern as he does it, counting each and every step, and doing it over and over, like you would in a class."
He was born in Castlefin, Co Donegal, in 1921, the third of five children to Peter Kerrigan, a clothing factory manager, and his wife Winifred (née O’Donnell). Both parents came from Donegal.
He was educated at Hillhead National School in Castlefin and then the Christian Brothers secondary school at the Brow of the Hill in Derry. He had hoped to become a schoolteacher.
However, he failed to achieve entry to teacher training, so became a manager in the clothing industry.
There are two ironies in his failure. Throughout his life, he proved an outstanding teacher. Irish had been one of his weak subjects at school. He went on to learn Irish as an adult, becoming a fluent speaker and a strong advocate for the language.
His commitment developed though there had been no great tradition of Irish culture in the Kerrigan family. As a boy, he attended dancing classes in Castlefin, discovered an ability, and became enthused. He first made his mark with classes at the Christian Brothers School in Omagh.
He established classes in other towns, and taught dancing at Gaeltacht summer courses in west Donegal. In the early days, he travelled by bicycle.
In the early 1950s Seamus moved to Ballinascreen (Draperstown) to manage a clothing factory.
There he bought the former home of Sir Denis Henry, first Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland and the only Catholic to serve as a Unionist MP in the North. For a time he owned a furniture store and was an auctioneer.
Advancing years forced him to reduce his teaching load. In his last years, his only classes were in Omagh; he had a great loyalty to that town which had given him his first break as a young man.
His classes taught not just dancing but pride in Irish culture, good manners and discipline. Until recent years he held separate classes for boys and girls.
Carmel Tierney, a friend, remembers his reaction: “He just tutted and walked off and let it be known what he thought.”
Informality was not his style, even to colleagues he was always ‘‘Mr Kerrigan’’. Despite this forbidding exterior, he inspired great loyalty. He was noted for keeping an interest in former pupils’ progress long after they had ceased dancing.
He was predeceased by his sisters Mary and Margaret, and brother Francis. He is survived by his brother Joseph (Fonsie), his nieces and nephews.
Seamus Kerrigan: born December 17th, 1921; died December 30th, 2009