Ring of Kerry

Irish Dancers

Labor Day 2022

Our 30th Anniversary Celebration

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.

  • On Saturday April 1: RKIDs' brunch social. Must be vaccinated against Covid.
  • On Saturday April 1: Emerald Isle Club ceili. Music by: Peter Fitzgerald and the J. Patrick’s All Stars. All dances are called.
  • On Wednesday April 5: Board of Directors meeting. To be held via Zoom remote conferencing.
  • Wednesday April 26: Book Club discusses We Don't Know Ourselves, first session of two.
  • Wednesday May 31: Second of two Book Club discussions on We Don't Know Ourselves.

Dances for the Winter-Spring 2023 Semester



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

  Main Class
done Antrim Square  video
done Ballyvourney Jig  video
The Black Valley  video
done Fairy Reel  video
done Four-Hand Reel  video
done Moycullen  video
done Siege of Carrick  video
Sliabh Luachra  video
done South Galway  video
done Spanish Waltz  video
done Stack of Barley
done Walls of Limerick  video
done Waltz Cotillion

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 two pages and mail it with your dues and other supporting required information to the address shown on it. Please note our current restriction on in-person gatherings due to the pandemic. More about membership.

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

Quick Steps

St. Patrick's Day Parade, 2023

Twenty-One RKIDs enthusiastically marched in Gaithersburg's windy and cold 2023 St. Patrick's Day parade. They danced the Six-Hand (Fairy) Reel, handed out festive beads, and floated bubbles throughout the event, delighting the audience. Prince Snowflake, the Celebrity Cat, even seemed to approve. See why in this video (if the video is taking too long to load or plays haltingly, click here to view it):


Blackthorn Ceili March 2023

What a night of great music and dancing, with a potluck to match! Tina, Joe and Zan provided the driving musical force. Sample some of the experience:


Lending Library

Check out the interesting reads and media you can borrow from our library for members.

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

We Don't Know Ourselves
by Fintan O'Toole
Date: Wednesday April 26, 2023
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Place: Zoom - Online
The full book title is We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland, by Fintan O'Toole. It is to be discussed in two monthly sessions.
This book received great acclaim from the New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and several other prestigious papers. It was marked as one of the best books of 2022. O'Toole, born in 1958, tells his own story of growing up in Dublin as he describes the history unraveling around him.
Contact: Sonja
We Don't Know Ourselves
by Fintan O'Toole
Date: Wednesday May 31, 2023
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Place: Zoom - Online
The full book title is We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland, by Fintan O'Toole. This is the second of two monthly discussion sessions.
This book received great acclaim from the New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and several other prestigious papers. It was marked as one of the best books of 2022. O'Toole, born in 1958, tells his own story of growing up in Dublin as he describes the history unraveling around him.
Contact: Sonja
Transatlantic
by Colum McCann
Date: Wednesday June 28, 2023
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Place: Zoom - Online
TBA
Contact: Sonja
First Crossing: Transatlantic Flight
by Robert O. Harder
Date: Wednesday September 27, 2023
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Place: Zoom - Online
TBA - Full title is First Crossing: The Transatlantic Flight of Alcock and Brown
Contact: Sonja
Condemned to Death
by Cora Harrison
Date: Wednesday October 25, 2023
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Place: Zoom - Online
TBA
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.