Two world champions for successful Derry Irish dancing school

Not one but two Irish dancing World Champions have returned to Derry’s Porter School of Irish Dancing from An Chomhdháil’s World Irish Dancing Championships 2024 in Killarney.

Take a well deserved bow, Eibhlin McCallion and Ava McDevitt.

Champion Eibhlin with her Irish dancing teachers Rachel and Carolyn Porter.

What makes this fantastic result all the more remarkable is the fact it is Eibhlin’s second world title in a row and, amazingly, it is Ava’s fourth.

This Easter, Eibhlin won the Under 11 title and Ava won the Under 14 title.

And they were not alone - pupils from the Porter School, which teaches in Derry and Donegal, brought home a trove of 50 medals. 22 dancers competed and won two world championships; third place (Maebh McCallion); sixth place (Sophie Catterson); and sixth place (Joshua Concannon). A further 11 dancers were placed in their championship. 

Speaking to Derry News, Ava, who is a Lumen Christi student, said the moment she realised she had won the world championship as “indescribable”.

“Before the result, it was a bit tense but when I heard my name called, it was unbelievable. Everybody around me was in tears. I was crying and shaking. 

“There were six adjudicators for our competition and all of the marks were close. I had to wait till the very end to see whether I had won or not. You couldn’t tell what way it was going to go at all when the marks were being called out.

“I thought I had danced well. I love being on the stage so that was making me dance better. I also got a new dress in February from Éire Designs in Belfast and that must have brought me luck. 

“We got a wee rest when we came back from Killarney but now we are thinking about the Ulsters, which are taking place in October,” said Ava. 

Understandably, Eibhlin said she didn’t remember what was going through her head when the marks for her competition were being put up on the screen.

“I was a little afraid,” she admitted. “But when I heard the result, I was absolutely delighted. It was brilliant. 

“There is a countdown before you go onto the stage and are presented with your trophy. Then, when your name is called out, everyone in the arena is standing  cheering. 

“When I got onto the top podium on the stage, the adjudicator who awarded me the 100 points [the maximum] gave me my trophy. The whole experience was amazing. All of the dancers made a line right around the stage.”

Eibhlin said her win was all the more special because it took place on her granda’s birthday. Sadly he recently died. 

“It was also great because my sister Meadh came third in the Under 16 championship," said the St Patrick’s, Pennyburn pupil. “My mammy, Mairead, and my daddy, Kevin, and my sister, Aoife, were buzzing,” she added. 

Eibhlin and Ava are pupils of Rachel and Carolyn Porter - who is also Ava’s mammy - themselves champion Irish dancers, past pupils of The McLaughlin School.  

Carolyn said: “We danced ourselves from the age of three. We went through our teacher’s exams after we had competed the whole way through to 21. 

“I opened the school in 2004. We are actually celebrating our 20th birthday this year. Rachel, who is younger,  joined in 2009. 

“We teach classes here in Springtown and also in the Lifford Clonleigh Resource Centre in Donegal.

“The World Championships is the premier Irish dancing event. It is the one which all of the dancers work towards. They dance all year, from January to December. They travel all over Ireland, England, Scotland and even as far as America to compete. 

“We would have two big feiseanna in a year  - the Worlds and the Ulsters, which took place at the end of October in Armagh. Both Ava and Eibhlin are the current Ulster champions as well.”

A clearly delighted Rachel said the achievement of Ava and Eibhlin in Killarney was so special because they got consecutive wins.

She explained: “To get a World Championship once is amazing. To get it twice is like a dream, even more so to get it a third and even a fourth time. It just gets harder and harder every year. 

“It would be the cream of the crop in terms of Irish dancers who would go to the Worlds. You are up against the best of the best in that age group.

“All of the dancers had great support here at home as well. Because the results were live streamed, all the relatives knew the results at the same time as we did in Killarney. 

“People were phoning and face-timing their congratulations. It was great. 

“Then you had the presentations, which are something else with flames and fireworks and razzamatazz,” said Rachel.

Carolyn and Rachel agreed Ava and Eibhlin deserved their success. Carolyn said: “They eat, sleep and breathe dancing. They work very hard all year and they always take onboard our corrections.

“As teachers, we are as proud as punch. It is brilliant for any school to bring home one world champion but to bring home two, two years in a row, is fantastic. 

“They did us proud, the school proud and Derry proud and we are now really looking forward to the Mayor’s Reception later on.”