Ring of Kerry

Irish Dancers

Labor Day 2023

2023 End of Year Ceili

Us
Irish folk dance classes in Montgomery County, Maryland are taught by the Ring of Kerry Irish Dancers. A great recreational activity, Irish dancing provides aerobic exercise in a welcoming social setting. For prospective new members, the first class is free!
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Calendar of EventsCalendar Notice

Our list of what's going on in the Maryland Irish set and ceili dance scene, plus a little more.

Birthdays A Week Around Today:

Diane M, Liz W


  • On Sunday September 24: GWCC ceili. Proof of vaccination is required, wearing face masks is recommended. Workshop dance is The High Cauled Cap.
  • On Tuesday September 26: Fall semester class and annual meeting. Please bring your $25 annual membership and $50 Fall class registration payments.
  • Tuesday Sept. 26: Annual meeting, then our third Fall class. If you are joining, please bring your $25 membership and (if enrolling) $50 semester fees.
  • Wednesday September 27, Book Club discusses The Transatlantic Flight of Alcock and Brown. Argy-Bargy
  • On Thursday October 5: Our David M. will be in concert with the Maryland Band Directors Band.
  • On Saturday October 7: RKIDs' First Saturday brunch social
  • On Saturday October 7: Emerald Isle Club ceili. Music by: Peter Fitzgerald and the J. Patrick’s All Stars. All dances are called.
  • October 13 - 15: Irish set dancing at the shore - the Fall Fling for 2023. Register by September 10 for the best rates. Three dance workshops, two ceilis.
  • Saturday October 28: The Halloween Edition of the Blackthorn Ceili! Marilyn Moore calls.

Quick Steps

Back to School

Happening Now! Our 2023 - 2024 membership renewal drive and signups for the Fall semester! If you are interested in Tuesday Evening dance class, we hold forth at Ridgeview Middle School in the cafeteria. For those not not interested in dance class, we already have a full list of books for our discussion club and other non-dance activities in the mill. Watch for details!

If you'd like to join us but aren't interested in going to dance class, download our annual membership form below. Please fill in the first page and mail it to us with a check for your dues. But ... if you want to join either of our two semesters of classes, offered during the Fall and Winter/Spring seasons, complete the entire form and bring it to class for registration. Thank you! More about membership and classes.

m e m b e r s h i p
F O R M

Dances for the Fall 2023 Semester



Dances Currently Being or Soon to be Taught or Reviewed are Shaded in Light Green   

  Main Class
High Cauled Cap  video
Connemara Reel  video
Corofin  video
Waltz Cotillion
done Walls of Limerick  video

Our 2022-2023 Year-End Ceili

Capping a year of dance with our new teacher, Toni, and a greatly expanded slate of social activities, the RKIDs and friends came together at St. Mary's Pavilion in Barnesville for dancing to tunes by Tina Eck, Joe DeZarn and Jesse Winch, expertly called by Larry Frank. Highlights:


Book Discussions

Every member who is interested in participating may sign up for this group. Contact Sonja via her email as listed in our membership directory. Discussion sessions will be conducted via Zoom on designated Wednesdays; see our events calendar. Registrants will get an email from Tom O. with connection instructions shortly before each discussion date. There will also be an outline of ideas to talk about. You have to acquire the books on your own; we'll display the videos when books aren't on tap. On the soon-to-review agenda is:

 

Upcoming Readings and Viewings (click here)

Reading  List

First Crossing: Transatlantic Flight
by Robert O. Harder
Date: Wednesday September 27, 2023
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Place: Zoom - Online
The full title is First Crossing: The Transatlantic Flight of Alcock and BrownPlease be sure to read Author's Note pages V-IX. We will begin our meeting by talking about creative non-fiction – pros and cons, like or not like, is it history?
There are sections of the book that are very technical in nature. How did you react to those passages? Did you read them, skip over them, use a dictionary to try to figure out what the author was talking about? And carrying this further, when reading in general how do you approach technical language, poetry, long quotes?
Contact: Sonja
More About This: Discussion Questions
Condemned to Death
by Cora Harrison
Date: Wednesday October 25, 2023
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Place: Zoom - Online
Setting: The Burren, 16th century
Contact: Sonja
Book Chat
by You Pick
Date: Wednesday November 29, 2023
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Place: Zoom - Online
We will have a Book Chat - an open book discussion. Instead of us reading the same book, this will be a chance for you to read a book of your own choice and report to the group about it. It may or may not have an Irish theme. You will have about 3 minutes to share. Here is some information you could consider sharing with the group.
  1. Title
  2. Author and bio information
  3. Date published
  4. Type of book-novel, history, biography, etc.
  5. Main theme/plot
  6. Style-which person, narrative, point of view, etc.
  7. Time and place
  8. Why you liked/didn't like it
  9. Other books by the author
  10. Is there a movie based on it?
  11. Recommended for men, women, adults, children?
  12. Photos, illustrations
Contact: Sonja
More About This: Pick what you want from the above list and feel free to add to the list. Zoom link will be sent out by Tom.
Murder at an Irish Christmas
by Carlene O’Connor
Date: Wednesday December 6, 2023
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Place: TBA
SPECIAL EVENT: Discussion will take place at a tea in Frederick. Details tba.
Contact: Sonja
Tis: A Memoir
by Frank McCourt
Date: Wednesday January 24, 2024
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Place: Zoom
This would be a good book to listen to rather than read.
Contact: Sonja
The Irish Boarding House
by Sandy Taylor
Date: Wednesday February 28, 2024
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Place: Zoom
Heart-warming Irish historical fiction
Alternative book is The Lost Girls of Ireland by Susanne O’Leary, Heart-warming story about an Irish family
Contact: Sonja
Raise the Titanic
by Clive Cussler
Date: Wednesday March 27, 2024
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Place: Zoom
Written before the Titanic was found.
Contact: Sonja
Factory Girls
by Michelle Gallen
Date: Wednesday May 22, 2024
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Place: Zoom
Setting: Northern Ireland, 1994
Contact: Sonja
Northern Spy
by Flynn Berry
Date: Wednesday June 26, 2024
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Place: Zoom
Two sisters in Belfast during the Troubles
Contact: Sonja
The Rose Code
by Kate Quinn
Date: Wednesday September 25, 2024
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Place: Zoom
Women decipher codes during WWII
Contact: Sonja

Recommended Readings

Books endorsed by our discussion club members, ordered by title, author and who recommends it. You might find you like them, too.

Big, We Mean Big!

Rundown of Other Major Club Events

A quick look at some of our larger-scale activities.


The dances we practice are selected from popular MD-DC-VA ceili and set dance group lists as well as other sources. Learn more about us.

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