A summer’s evening with the All-Ireland Jiving Champions

There is not in this wide world a valley so sweet

As the vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet,

Oh! the last rays of feeling and life must depart

Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart.

So wrote Thomas Moore in 1807 as he began The Meeting of the Waters, a song of friendship and appreciation for this tranquil scene just outside the village of Avoca in Co Wicklow.

Driving along the river Avoca, heading for the picturesque village of the same name, the quiet road affords me the opportunity to take in the scenery that inspired Moore. The forestry giving shade from the evening sun, the mix of broadleaf and evergreen trees adding interest and the odd cottage nestled into a shady spot, along with car parking areas indicating the people enjoying summer living amongst the water and the trees.

Crossing the bridge, Fitzgerald’s pub from Ballykissangel days comes into view and I veer left, up the hill, in the direction of the community hall.

With All-Ireland fever ramping up in hurling and footballing strongholds around the country, Irish Country Living, is in the Sweet Vale of Avoca to meet current all-Ireland winners for 2023 – the jiving champions.

Let’s begin!

Having secured the title in April, Nadine Byrne from Avoca and Noel Price from Kildavin, Co Wexford are sharing their enthusiasm not just for jiving, but for waltzing, quick-stepping and line-dancing in the local community hall.

“It is social dancing really,” explains Nadine of the classes that are taking place over six weeks.

“It’s a mix every night, so no one gets bored of the one thing,” she continues.

“The hall is very nice, it’s a nice size – perfect for how we do it,” she adds, of the long, airy room before taking to the stage to lead the class in a heel, heel, toe, toe routine.

Sounds simple, but after joining in, we soon realise why everyone was carrying water bottles with them into class!

The class takes place from 8pm – 9:30pm on Thursday evenings and while Nadine and Noel share leading the class with new steps, people can take part at their own pace.

“To be fair, it is hard going demonstrating the steps and talking them through to the class at the same time; it’s as good as a workout,” says Noel, whose day job is an electrician, as he takes a break outside.

“You do have to think things through!” he says before returning to lead the slosh – a line dance - from the stage.

Nadine reckons the slosh is the easiest dance to learn.

“There aren’t too many steps in it and if you can pick up the steps, you can pick up the beat of the music,” she explains.

Family Ties

As Nadine’s parents played a role in getting her dancing, it was Noel’s aunty who encouraged him to go along to Dancing with Declan classes in Wexford.

“We both started dancing with Declan and Elaine Pender, that is really how we got going,” says Nadine who will be returning to her final year of agriculture at SETU [South East Technological University] in September.

“There are dances at the weekends, but you do need classes during the week to get started,” adds Noel.

This is Noel’s second All-Ireland win; previously taking the honours in 2018. He admits that when he started going to the classes, it took him two or three months before he had the confidence to get up to dance.

“Then I met Nadine,” he says with those blue eyes sparkling over towards her.

“This year, we said we would enter [the jiving all-Ireland] for the craic and the next thing, our names were called out,” adds Nadine.

“Now, that is a work out!” she says of the all-Ireland experience.

“It’s done in heats; when you enter, a number gets pinned to your back. Then, there is a knock out round, and they call out the numbers who are through to the next round and so on until it is down to the final few,” she explains.

“You are dancing three songs one after the other; that’s fairly intense!” Noel adds.

Good news travels

Back to Avoca community hall, Irish Country Living manages to have a quick word with Ethna Garahy, who travelled from Birr, Co Offaly with her husband, Kieran.

“My daughter, Dearbhala, is getting married to Kevin Dempsey from Redcross next month in Birr, so we have been coming up here to give them a bit of support [practicing dancing for their wedding]. I love the jiving, I love the quick step, I think I was born with dancing feet!”

“My mother is up this evening and is bonding with Kevin’s granny while we are here,” she adds before returning to the floor.

“Traditionally, the jiving following would be in the northern part of the country but now especially amongst the young people, jiving is huge in the southern counties, especially around Wicklow and Wexford,” explains Thérèse, Nadine’s mam, as we leave the class.

“Jiving would be seen as the most popular; you would say you are going for a night of jiving, but there would always be a line dance in there somewhere, that is how the music sets are done; they would have two or three sets of a waltz, then jiving,” she adds before waving us off.

Over 200 years on from Thomas Moore’s days enjoying friendship by the Meeting of the Waters, friendships are flourishing in the Vale of Avoca.

Sweet Vale of Avoca! how calm I could rest, In thy bosom of shade, with the friends I love best

I go dancing because…

They know how to jive from years ago - they are coming to these lessons to learn line dancing and improve their waltzing.

Their top tip

“If you have no one to go to the class with, just turn up, you don’t need a partner, lots of people come on their own and we all mix at the class.”

Tom Cowman, a mechanic from Moneystown, near Roundwood in Co Wicklow goes to the class on his way home from work.

“I went to a gig in Leitrim called Cowboys and Heroes and when I saw everybody doing the jiving, I said, ‘That is definitely something I am going to take up.’ I saw Nadine advertising the lessons on the internet and I said, ‘Right, that’s me sorted.’

“I’ve turned up on my own for the last two weeks. The line dancing is good and the jiving is good once you get the hang of it. It’s great fun; I’ll go wherever the next round of lessons are!”

Edel Pender from Kiltealy, Co Wexford taught Noel how to dance.

“I would have done a lot of dancing with Noel; I danced his first competition with him, as a partner. What is it about these classes that keep people coming back? It’s just the enjoyment; it’s the music, it’s good fun, it’s a laugh, it’s exercise, you meet people, it is a nice atmosphere to be in.

“Normally classes take a break over the summer, but there is a great turn out for this, it has just taken off and it is brilliant to see.”

“Yeah, we did!” says Thérèse when asked if they influenced Nadine to get into the dancing.

“She wouldn’t go for the first two or three months, then she decided to come for one night and now we can’t get her away from it,” adds John.

“It is lovely to see all the different age groups out together, and to see the younger ones with such an interest in it. We’ve met the loveliest of people through the dancing; it is not about drinking – it is about one thing – the enjoyment that we all get out of the dancing.

“We dance to whatever comes on, it doesn’t have to be the jiving, any of the dancing is great to be up and out. Locally, we go dancing over to Ardattin (Co Carlow), the Parkview in Shillelagh is a popular spot too and down to the Ashdown in Gorey (Co Wexford) is close to us as well.”

1. Do not arrive to your lesson with sandals on! Runners, shoes you might be wearing to the wedding you’re preparing for or the holy grail… flat brown boots - “Dealer boots,”as Nadine says, are ideal. You want a good solid base for all that fancy footwork.

2. Bring water, or a spare t-shirt. It gets hot and sweaty with all that twirling and toe stepping.

3. When starting off, dance with as many different people as possible; everyone has a different style and this will help you improve your own style.

Find Nadine on Facebook/N&N Jivers