'Feis Dhoire Cholmcille is a feis like no other'

“Feis Dhoire Cholmcille is a feis like no other” smiled Shauna Kavanagh, her pride in the iconic cultural phenomenon clearly visible.

“It is a fabulous opportunity for dancers from the same city who don’t usually get to feis with some of their friends at school who Irish dance,” added the Feis Dance Co-ordinator.

“Derry Feis is an absolutely brilliant opportunity for them to come together and we want to celebrate them all.

“We are really looking forward to what 2026 has in store,” said Shauna, “because we had a fantastic 2025 at Derry Feis. We piloted a new syllabus and we brought in a grade section for the first time.”

“I have worked with representatives from An Chomhdháil and An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha to improve on the great progress we made last year,” she added. “We have further developed this grade section to make sure dancers of all ages and all abilities are given an opportunity to perform at their level in the Feis.”

The Irish Dancing competitions at this year’s Derry Feis will comprise 24 grades in the light dance competitions.

“There is going to be an opportunity this year, for the first time ever, for dancers who are still going through their grades to win a trophy at Derry Feis. We are very proud of that and we are very excited to see all those dancers,” beamed Shauna.

“We also have three new crowns to share. We are going to have a Derry Feis Junior, Intermediate and Senior champion. The Junior will be under 10, the Intermediate will be under 15 and then we are going to have a crown for both our under 18 and over 18 senior ladies.

“Something I am very excited about this year is that any dancer who places first to fifth in their Championships from under 9 to over 18 will be invited back, with a free entry, for the prestigious Fr Kevin Mullan Champion of Champions competition, which will close the Feis.

“This is a treble reel step, down the line, and it comes with the Christine McIvor Bursary which is £500.

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“We have also managed to increase the over 16 bursary in the Dance section of Derry Feis from £100 to £500 this year, so we are very proud of that,” said Shauna, who added she was “very grateful for all of the expert feedback she received from both An Chomhdháil and An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha to ensure we are taking care of the dancers, respecting the rules, and ensuring all is well for a really fun and fair Derry Feis.

As if that was not enough, Derry Feis 2026 sees the return of the Charity Champions Competition.

“This is open to anybody, former dancers, provided they haven’t competed in the last number of years.

“They can dance solo or in a team. We’ll provide a sponsor sheet and dancers can be sponsored to dance in Derry Feis for a charity of their choice!” said Shauna.

Anyone who is interested in taking part in the Charity Champions Competition can contact Shauna directly. Her phone number is on the Feis website: www.derryfeis.com.

“This will be a lovely competition,” said Shauna, “and the winner will receive £100 towards their chosen charity.”

This year’s Irish dancing adjudicators are Conleth Mullan and Fionuala McLaughlin from Derry, and Patricia Wilson from Omagh and Brendan O’Brien from Dublin.

“They are fantastic adjudicators,” said Shauna, “all very well respected within their own organisations.

“I am really looking forward to them actually seeing what Derry Feis has to offer. A lot of our adjudicators and musicians share our excitement for the Feis because it is quite prestigious and something they look forward to.

“Getting an opportunity to play or adjudicate Derry Feis is a unique experience for them as well as for the dancers.

“We will have Irish dancers from the city, County Derry and Belfast. I am still waiting on a cup which was won last year to be returned from New Zealand.

“We are back in St Columb’s Hall this year and our tuck shop ‘Tuck Go Bog É’ will be making a reappearance.”

Anyone wishing to enter any of this year’s Irish dancing competitions can contact Shauna directly. Her phone number is on the Feis website: www.derryfeis.com.

Feis Dhoire Cholmcille - Derry Feis - runs from Tuesday, April 7 to Friday, April 10, 2026.