Joy Nurtured In Community Spirit
John McSweeney, Director
John Mc Sweeney from the Talbot Dance Centre told us how his favourite part of the day is in the evening when he takes a stroll around Dublin’s Liberties and cherish its beauty. I revisit in my mind places so alive and bustling in the past, which are now gone, replaced by apartments. And I realise, the charm, the energy and all memories, they all come down to people from your neighbourhood. In this part of Talbot Street we all know each other very well. There is a special bond between each shop that helps us support one another. When having a meal at The Pantry you can always count on great chats and tasty food. The same with Il Capo, treating us with some delightful pizzas and O’Brien’s Hardware. It creates that wonderful craic which makes coming to work so much more pleasant. I would say that Talbot Dance Centre is all about community. For over 40 years we have been meeting generations of families who fell in love with Irish dancing. Having served parents, we are delighted to see them coming back with their own children to find a right a pair of shoes. Thanks to this, the centre stops being a business and becomes so much more, embracing customers, their dreams and passions. With the internet nowadays, Irish dancing has taken off to a number of places like the USA, Taiwan, China and Germany. Especially thanks to Riverdance, this tradition has been reaching to more and more people around the world, bringing Irish dance joy to every nook and cranny of the world. And we are in the middle of it, making it personal, unique and homely regardless of the distance.