Next class starts Tuesday, August 24th.    Classes will continue until next summer.

This web site  is a guide to set and ceili dancing classes and ceilis (a party with music, dancing and conversation) in the Maryland, DC and northern Virginia area.  Ceili, which is pronounced as "Keili" is a version of the  Irish Gaelic word "Ceilidh" .  Examples of ceili and set dancing can be found on Youtube is channel "ceili308".

Getting to the Green Acres Center can be tricky.  Sideburn Road has limited access past Armstrong Street.   Access from cross streets between the center and Armstrong Street  have been closed. 
If driving north on Rte. 123,  travel to Armstrong Street, turn right and travel two streets over to Sideburn Road.  Turn right.  Follow Sideburn until it ends at Green Acres.  If traveling south on Rte. 123, turn left on Armstrong, travel to Sideburn, and turn right.

A list of  classes, clubs and ceilis in the Washington DC metro area, and links to their web pages,  can be found on the Classes, Clubs and Ceili page.  New classes are always starting, and walk- ins are welcome.

Information on a wider range of Irish cultural activities in the Washington D.C. area, such as musical groups, step dancing schools, book clubs etc. can be found on www.ccepotomac.org, the web page for the local branch, O'Neill-Malcom, of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann.

The web master for  this site is Hugh W. Conway.  He can be reached at 703-273-6869 or Ceiliset @ Yahoo.com.  He also leads a set dance class on Tuesday nights thru the City of Fairfax Parks and Recreation Department.   Classes are year round.  The next session of 5 weeks will resume Tuesday, August 24th 2010.   Walk-ins are welcome. 

                                            Upcoming and Recent (what you missed)  Events
  
 
     Blackthorn Ceili Club,   March 12th, 2010  at McCathren Hall, Washington Grove, Montgomery County,
          Maryland.    It has gotten great reviews.

      Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann,   (CCE) Ceili on selected second Saturdays of each month.  April 2010 ceili will be on first Saturday night of April,
          April 3rd.  Great Falls Grange in Great Falls, Virginia,  9819 Georgetown Pike, Great 'falls, VA 22066.   
          Saturday morning set and ceili classes are at 10:30am at Green Acres.    Contact Larry Frank at  LFrank2@earthlink.net for information.
             
     Connie Ryan Autumn Weekend, (GWCC)
        Now being held at the Atlantic Sands Hotel  and Conference Center, 101 North Boardwalk, Rehoboth Beach,
        Delaware 19971.    2010 dates are October 22, 23 and 24th.    
   
           The 2009 weekend was a time of great dancing on a specially installed 3,000 square foot floor.   Pádraig and Róisín McEneany visited
           from Ireland and provided superb instruction   John Whelan (accordion),  Brendan Dolan (piano and flute),
           Jimmy Kelly (drums), Felix Dolan  (piano and flute)  and Bernedette Fee (fiddle) play for the ceilis on Friday and Saturday nights. 
           Pádraig and Róisín taught on Saturday  morning and afternoon, and Sunday morning. 
        
               
     Emerald Isle Ceili Club,  first Saturday of the month. http://www.emeraldisleclub.com/  for information.  Note the new location
            for the monthly ceili:  American Legion Post 183 Hall,  2301 Putty Hill Avenue in Parkville MD.

     Fairfax City Parks and Recreation,  (Tuesday Night Ceili Club)  Tuesday night classes, 7:30 pm, Green Acre Center,
          4401 Sideburn Road, Fairfax (City),  22030. Call 703-273-6869 for information.  See  classes below.)  

    Greater Washington Ceili Club,  GWCC   Mini ceilis on third Thursday of the month at Frost Center,
           4915 Aspin Hill Road,  Rockville, MD,   20740.   Confirm with Greenfeet@aol.com        
                
          Monthly Sunday ceilis at Cherry Hill Conference Center,  9800 Cherry Hill Road, College Park, MD  20740.          
          For  2010:  January 24th, February 28th, March 14th, April 25th and May 23rd

   Greater Washington Spring Fling 2010, Shepherdstown, West Virginia,  will be  March 26th and 27th.


   The Mid Atlantic Convention of the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann   will be held April 8th to the 11th, at the Parsippany Hilton Hotel,
           Parsippany, NJ.  This convention will include ceilis on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoon. (2 until 6 pm).
           There will be set and ceili workshops on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.   For more information on dancing and other Irish cultural
           activities at the convention, go to www.cce-ma.com,   www.cceconvention2010.org or, call Paul Keating at 201-722-0059.
           
             
   J Patricks,  1371 Andre Street, Locust Point, Baltimore, MD, (near Fort Mc Henry) Ceili on second Sunday of month.  
           410-244-8613 for information. http://pw1.netcom.com/~leemarsh/jpatrick.html for directions.
   
                 
      Old St. Mary's Church,  The Tuesday Night Ceili Club sponsored a ceili in cooperation with the AOH on August 30th, 2009   The location was  Rte. 123,  (Ox Road) 
             Fairfax Station, 22039.   3:00 to 6:00 pm.  The building is located at intersection of Rte.123  (Ox Road) with Fairfax Station Road.
           
             
Look at Classes, Clubs and Ceili  page for information on classes, and clubs that sponsor regular ceilis.

Irish set dancing traces its roots to the returning soldiers from the Napoleonic wars.  While on the continent the soldiers had observed quadrille dancing, with four couples, in a square or set, dancing patterns. The Irish took the quadrille and made modifications to suit their music (reels, jigs and hornpipes) and temperament.    The result has been a body of dances that have given hours of joy and good health to the participants.   See article in Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia for more information.