Major Competitions
The Midwest Oireachtas refers to an annual regional championship competition. Oireachtas are held by several Irish dance organizations globally, including the Irish Dance Teachers Association of Mid-America (IDTAMA). The IDTAMA region includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The Mid-America Regional Oireachtas is held over the Thanksgiving weekend. This competition is a World Championship qualifying event.
Oireachtas photos: Schaumberg 2021, Louisville 2019
The North American Irish Dance Championships (NAIDC) are held annually in North America over the first week of July and are hosted on a rotational basis by each region. The NAIDC is one of the premier Irish dance competitions worldwide and it is a World Championship qualifier. Over 5000 dancers compete in these events.
The Irish Dance Teacher's Association of North America (IDTANA) and the Irish Dance Teachers of Mid-America (IDTAMA) operate in tandem with An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG) in Dublin, Ireland. All members must be registered and certified as a TMRF (Céili instructor), TCRG (solo/Céili instructor) or ADCRG (adjudicator) by CLRG and all dancers who compete in these Major competitions must be taught by a certified teacher (TCRG or TMRF).
Nationals Photos: Vancouver 2019, Orlando 2018, New Orleans 2017
The Irish Dancing World Championships (Worlds) is an annual Irish stepdance competition run by An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG) -the Irish Dancing Commission. (https://www.clrg.ie)
Dancers may qualify for the World Championships only by achieving a high placement at their Oireachtas or National Championships in the year prior. This event is held on Easter Week each year and the hosting city rotates.