The 2026 Bere Island Arts Festival taking place from the 17th to the 20th of September is due to kick off in style this year with the amazing immersive dance experience called ‘The Devil’s in the Dance Hall’ taking place at the Drill Hall at 19.30 on Thursday evening. 

BY AISLING MEATH

This immersive dance experience is starting off their nationwide tour with the island show when the thirty -seven strong company of dancers, actors, crew and musicians who form ‘The Gralton Big Band’ along with singer Cathy Jordan will take to the stage.

They are headed up by the Leitrim woman Edwina Guckian, the well- known sean-nós dancer who devised the show.

Edwina is on a mission to ‘bring back the craic’ to Ireland, especially in rural locations where she has witnessed the demise of many social outlets, and is acutely aware of the loneliness epidemic which has set in as a result. 

She received the Markievicz award in 2023 leading her to researching the role that the Church played in supressing the dancehalls of Ireland when they effectively put pressure on the State to introduce the Public Dance Hall Act of 1935.

It was a common sight for priests to walk around dancehalls separating couples who were deemed to be dancing too closely together saying – ‘Leave room for your guardian angel.’

This Public Dance Hall act was key to the suppression of public dance events like Dancing at the Crossroads and even house parties. Incredibly the law has never been changed and still exists on the statute books today!

“Rural pubs are closing down, nightclubs and discos are waning, and even places where people used to meet for a chat like after Mass are declining as less masses are being held in rural churches. 

During my research I asked a group of 17-25 year olds ‘Where do you go dancing? ‘We don’t’ they said.” explained Edwina.

 Edwina is determined to change that by hosting this exhilarating big band old style 1930’s dance experience. Dressing up in the style of the era is encouraged if you want to.

Anyone who has seen the film “Jimmy’s Hall’ will be familiar with the story of Jimmy Gralton whose dancehall was burned to the ground after the church accused him of being the ‘Devil’ and it’s his story which lends itself to this event.

So, if you want a bit of devilment then Bere island on the 17th of September is the place to be.