Having an Irish dancing school was not something I ever planned!  I danced in Teeside as a child for the Robson Academy.  I moved down South and at the age of 30 joined an adult class as a hobby.  Not long after I joined the adult class the teacher who taught the children asked if I would cover for a few months.  At first I said no, I didn't fancy it at all.  I then reluctantly said yes and that was that!  I absolutely loved it.  I was asked to take over the running of the children's classes which I did and then studied for my TCRG which I passed first time in 2005. 

The school continued to grow and in January 2016 I decided to approach Katheen Maguire from Maguire O'Shea who I had met at one of our grades exams about joining up.  More teachers were needed to cope with the ever increasing numbers.  It was then we became part of Maguire O'Shea.  

Up until 2024 I had spent all of my Irish dancing years as part of CLRG (An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha).  In July 2022 evidence of feis fixing was exposed within CLRG and I increasingly became disheartened with CLRG and how the situation was being handled.   I wanted to leave CLRG but the other teachers from Maguire O'Shea whilst not involved in any of the allegations didn't want to leave.  I knew leaving on my own would cause a lot of disruption but I had just stopped loving what I did.  It was either leave the organisation or stop teaching all together.

Early in 2024 I decided to approach An Chomhdhail.  I was accepted into the organisation and then Claire Saxon also joined An Chomhdhail.  We competed in our first An Chomhdhail competition on the 15th June 2024.  We loved it. 

The school's aim is to teach as many children as possible the wonderful art of Irish dancing and to have lots of fun along the way. Classes are based in Reading and Didcot.