Gabby Brown. Photo contributed
Eight-year-old Ciara Foley, Burke, and nine-year-old Gabby Brown, Springfield, were among five dancers from McGrath Morgan Academy of Irish Dance to bring home a championship title from the annual Oireachtas.
In December, the school sent 33 dancers to the Oireachtas, a regional championship where about 2,000 dancers from the southern United States compete not only for a day of recognition, but also to qualify for upcoming national and world competitions.
The competition was fierce, but five McGrath Morgan dancers—Ciara Foley, Burke; Gabby Brown, Springfield; Aisling Reynolds, Manassas, Va.; Meghann Mullarkey, Herndon; and Sophia Rankin, Cabin John, Md.—brought home first-place trophies.
Thirteen McGrath Morgan dancers qualified to compete in the world championships, which will be held in Dublin in the spring. An additional nine dancers qualified to compete at the North American championships this summer in Phoenix.