I put up a comment earlier sticking up for both Feiseanna and Fleadhanna and I stand by what I said. That doesn't mean I like the wigs and the radioactive dresses and (particularly) the makeup and fake tan.

The last class feis my daughter danced at was a horrible experience for her. There were about two dozen girls in her competition and at the end, not content with giving first, second and third place, they placed all the dancers in order of (supposed) merit. My daughter was one of the lower-placed ones which meant she had to stand if front of a room full of people being told (in effect) that she was rubbish.

I was fucking furious and she's never been back. On the other hand, she came first in the singing at the recent regional Fleadh but all the kids were given positive, supportive feedback on their performances (as she had been in previous years when she'd not qualified). That's the difference between Comhaltas and the Irish Dancing world.

My greatest beef apart from that with Irish Dancing is that many kids and their parents have no idea of the relationship between dance and music. This is because they learn to dance purely as an athletic exercise. A reel, a heavy jig or a slip jig is taught to them purely as a series of moves.

If you sat them down and asked them to identify what type of tune the 'Foxhunter's Jig', the 'Sally Gardens' or the 'Rights of Man' were they wouldn't have a clue because their parents have no interest in the music and they never hear it in the home - only on a CD at their dancing class.