Congratulations to Caoimhe, a Junior School student at Northampton High School GDST, who competed in two World Championships for Irish Dancing over the October half term.
Her first Championship was for the Cumann Rince Gaelach – CRG who are based in Ireland, although they also had competitors from the USA, Europe and the UK. Caoimhe had to qualify for this event by coming top three in at least two qualifiers. Not only did Caoimhe finish top 3, she won the Ulster Championships to ensure her qualification!
Caoimhe competed in the Intermediate section and is in the U11 age group, which means she danced against dancers who could have been two years older than her. She competed in three solo dances and then competed in the championships. Caoimhe danced the reel and heavy jig.
Her second World Championship was in Liverpool over Halloween weekend, and this was for the Open Platform Irish Dance Federation, with dancers from around the world. Again, she had to qualify for this event and she did this by winning the UK championships in Weston Super Mare earlier this year, in June. In her competitions, she has been highly commended for her technique and positive attitude.
Caoimhe had qualified for the CRG World Championships in Galway, which was the first time she has competed at this level with this organisation. Caoimhe danced her heart out, but the level of competition was high and she finished 10th in her intermediate group. In her solo dances she achieved 5th and 6th place, which was really impressive!
Over the half term, Caoimhe worked hard in preparation for her second World Championships for OPIDF in Liverpool. Caoimhe danced her best and she achieved 4th place in the intermediate, which was absolutely amazing. The class was big with 13 dancers and Caoimhe had only just stepped up to intermediate level in June. On Sunday, Caoimhe competed in the treble reel (hard shoes dance) and she came a fabulous 2nd place and was absolutely thrilled.
‘Thank you for all the support and time that Northampton High School has given Caoimhe and myself to be able to help achieve these goals. We have no more Feis for 2025, but Caoimhe is looking forward to achieving her dream of being an Open Dancer in time for Worlds 2026. The most proud part of both Championships for us, was to see Caoimhe clap and cheer for those girls who came higher than her in her class. Even though she was disappointed in herself, she supported the younger members of the team, some of which were at their first feis. We know she gets this from all the opportunities she gets at school and for that we thank you.’
-Mrs Karla Hodgetts-Tate (parent)
Thank you to Caoimhe’s parents for sending this wonderful news to us. We are very proud of Caoimhe’s dancing achievements!
If you attend Northampton High School and have an extracurricular accomplishment that you wish to share with us, we’d love to hear from you! Please email marketing@nhs.gdst.net
