Niamh McGuinness of Downstown, Duleek has been Irish dancing since she was four years of age.

World Championship joy for Duleek dancer

A VERY talented 19-year-old Duleek dancer took fifth place in the Irish Dancing World Championship which was held in Killarney recently.

Niamh McGuinness of Downstown, Duleek has been Irish dancing since she was four years of age.

This year, her dream of coming top five in the An Comhdhail World Irish Dancing Championships came true. The Championship was held in INEC Killarney, where thousands of dancers competed from all over the world but mostly from Ireland, United Kingdom and from the USA.

"It has been a very tough journey to get to this level, with many injuries along the way," Niamh says.

Niamh dances for the Sherry Murphy Greene Academy in Dublin where she says her three teachers’ commitment to every single student is outstanding. She travels to class from her home in Downstown, Duleek three times a week, and attends PT training three or fur times a week to make sure she is as fit as she can be.

Niamh has won many other open Championships over the years. Most recently she won Feile Corpus Christi and Feile Iosagain as well as getting top two in the Dublin and top three in the Leinster championships, competing mainly in Ireland and the UK.

Currently Niamh dances both competitively and professionally. She is looking forward to the Dublin championships in June and hopes to compete in many more worlds for years to come.

She has performed at corporate and private events, in places such as The Convention Centre, The Guinness Store, as well as private weddings. However, Niamh’s real dream is to join a dance troupe such as Riverdance or Lord of the Dance and travel the world.