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Famed dance tutors are honoured  Joe
and Siobhán O’Donovan from Cork are among the most highly-regarded
teachers and collectors of dance memoribilia in the country.
Joe’s father taught the west Cork dances that he learnt from a Dunmanway
dance master while his mother was a fine musician.
They were recently inducted into the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Hall Of Fame (Traditional
Music Awards) 2008.
Joe played whistle, piano, accordion and war pipes and spent some time
as a member of the Cork volunteers Pipe Band and the Jimmy McNamara Céilí
Band.
He was a founder member of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann
in Cork in 1951.
Since then he and Siobhán have travelled the world collecting steps
and set dances which they have taught to thousands of enthusiasts at classes,
workshops and summer schools in Ireland and abroad.
Their dance steps are archived on the Comhaltas video Old-Style Traditional
Step Dancing, 1700-1930.
They have taught dance in the music department of University College Cork
and were recognised for their contribution to the preservation and dissemination
of traditional set and step dancing in a special tribute during The Willie
Clancy Summer School in 2004. |
