FEIS App's
Dancer Of The Month -
Cillian McMorrow
All children are stars of course — ALL OF THEM. Children are shining lights, beacons — rays of sunshine! When we see children working hard and feeling passionate about something, whether that be a school project, helping grandparents clean up autumn leaves from their garden, becoming proficient at reading, or indeed Irish dancing, their light seems to shine that little bit brighter. Moreover, seeing a child Irish dance, carrying a rich and strong culture forward, is joyous. This is probably why the term ‘star’ is used to describe so many Irish dancers. All children, and especially all Irish dancers are stars. Our dancer of the month this month is no exception.
Cillian McMorrow surely is a star! Not in the sense that he spends hours signing autographs, not in the sense that he has photographers and camera crews following him around, but because he is a young man who loves to dance, loves Irish dancing and everything that comes with it. He’s also a young man who cares deeply about Irish dancing. At just 11 years old, he has an incredible list of titles to his name already and is hungry for more success — could sibling rivalry partly explain this? (His sister is an incredibly successful dancer too!).
Dancing for his parents Johnathan and Clare at the McMorrow School of Irish Dance in Dromahair, Co. Leitrim, Cillian has been involved in Irish dance virtually since he was born. “My earliest memory of Irish dancing is going to class with my mum when I was about 2 in Manchester, watching her teach and remembering the noise!” However, Cillian didn’t participate in a lesson himself until he moved to Ireland. “It was a beginners’ class in the studio at our house. I had seen my sister Sheenagh dance a lot, and I had been jumping around at home so I thought I knew more than I did.” This is where Cillian’s exceptional journey began.
Since dancing in the U8 age group, Cillian has won every single major he has competed in. This fantastic set of achievements includes: 2 All Ireland titles, 2 North American National titles, 3 Irish National titles, a Great Britain title, an All Scotland title and 5 Connacht titles. Cillian would have been competing at this year’s 50th CLRG World Championships in Dublin, but due to the pandemic he’ll have to dance his first World Championships in 2021 — hopefully.
We could put Cillian’s fabulously successful career (so far) down to his dancing school being set up at his home in Leitrim — imagine class being always at home! Perhaps we could put it down to the special bond that he has with his parents/teachers. We could also put it down to the super supportive relationship that he has with his talented sister Sheenagh. The pair push and encourage each other as much as possible, but on dance day especially, they are each other’s number one supporters. “I will never forget Sheenagh cheering me on at my first All Ireland and her crying when I won. Sheenagh had won her first All Ireland and she knew how nervous I was. I was so nervous and I have to admit that I didn’t want it to be 1-0 to her!”
Most dancers dream of accumulating an honors list like Cillian’s over their entire competitive career, but Cillian is just getting started. He has a long road ahead but if the start that he has made is anything to go by, it’ll be an incredibly successful competitive career. With the support that Cillian has from his family alone, no matter what hurdles come his way, he’ll be well placed to clear them.
We asked Cillian the following questions:
Q - What was your first big win that you can remember?
A - I will never forget winning the American Nationals Under 8 in New Orleans. The size of the place, the build up, the flight there; everything about it felt huge. Sheenagh and I both won. It was the first time for both of us to compete at the Nans so the whole week was a massive high.
Q – What’s your dance day morning routine like?
A - I always want to get ready way before my competition, which drives my dad mad. I rarely have breakfast on the morning. I dance and always have to put my left sock and shoe on first.
Q - Who are your favorite Irish dancers?
A - I have great memories of James Keegan dancing when I was very small in my parents’ class in Manchester. I remember the Gardiner brothers being in the same parade as me when I first won the Connachts. My favorite dancer competing at the moment is Callum O’Neill for his ability, strength and technicality. I can never imagine myself doing the stuff he does.
Q - Who would you say has had the biggest impact on your Irish dancing and why?
A - I couldn’t choose between my mum and dad. They are always positive and they constantly remind me that it’s only Irish dancing and that we are a very lucky family.
Q - Favorite place you have ever visited because of Irish dance?
A - No contest — it’s Florida for the Nans. Both Sheenagh and I won again. We stayed for nearly a week after we danced and did a VIP tour of Universal with our friends the LeVines.
Q - Give us an insight into your practice regime in the build up to a big event?
A - I do 3 classes every week anyway. The only thing that changes coming up to a big competition is my parents will say ‘ Cillian let’s do a quick half hour now in the studio’ just when I’m about to watch telly.
Q - What’s your Irish dance teacher like?
A - Strict but easy going at the same time!! Because they are my parents as well, we have a rule that we leave all the dancing stuff in the studio.
Q - Moving forward is there anything you still want to do? Shows you want to be in?
A - Since I’ve known what Riverdance was I’ve wanted to be in it. My parents were in it very near the beginning. They toured loads and were on Broadway so that would be a dream.
Q – What would be your greatest dream?
A – A win at the Worlds!
Q - What characteristics do you think a dancer needs in order to become the best?
A - Determination, drive and patience. It takes time to perfect movements and dances.
Q - Do you feel pressure in the run up to an event or at a big event?
A – Yes, absolutely. I just try to remember how many times I’ve done it and I convince myself that I’ve worked harder than anyone else.
Q - What top tips (say 4 or 5) would you give an aspiring young Irish dancer?
A - I feel like I’m too young to provide tips, but for younger dancers I would say.
Q - Are there any crossover skills/attributes that you have taken from Irish dancing into other aspects of your life?
A - Dancing has 100% helped my football. The coaches always say I’m fast and have quick feet.
Q - If you had to describe the world of Irish dance in 3 words, what would those words be?
A - Busy, Family, Exciting
Q – What brand of waistcoat do you have?
A - I have an Elevation waistcoat. We really trust Jackie and the team at Elevation to get it right every time.
Q - How would you describe yourself in three words?
A - Determined, friendly and competitive.
Are we going to see this young man in Riverdance in 7 or 8 years from now? Are we going to see him perform lead? Will he be a World champion by then? Will he be a dancer who has multiple world titles to his name? Who knows? What we do know is that Irish dancing is helping Cillian blossom not just within the framework of Irish dance but in all areas of his young life. His football coach credits Irish dancing for his incredibly fast footwork on the pitch. Irish dancing can certainly be considered a factor contributing to his determination and work ethic. Irish dancing has taught this young man to take criticism from a young age and use it to improve. It has also provided him with a way of connecting with his family through culture; having a shared common passion in the family is magical. Cillian loves ‘having the craic’ at feiseanna with his feis friends and loves the social side that comes with touring through the annual feis calendar.
Cillian should win many more titles — but no matter what, he will have a friend rich, culturally rich, socially rich and performance rich life that eclipses all the honors. Cillian and his family are still at the beginning of a journey that will fill his and their lives with joy — the journey that is Irish dance.
FEIS App is incredibly proud to call Cillian McMorrow our dancer of the month and we cannot wait to see how his journey unfolds once all of this is over.