Claddagh Dance Company
Claddagh Dance Company, 1729 E Main Street, Ventura, CA 93001
About
Claddagh Dance Company offers Irish dance classes that include solo and group dances in traditional soft shoes and traditional hard shoes. The program includes dance classes and dance performances that focus on these specific Irish dance styles.
• Ages: 4–18 years old
• Price: Claddagh is currently offering a special for new beginner dancers, with a coupon for a free month of dance classes that is good at any of their locations.
Claddagh Dance Company has been family run for 35 years and has added a touch of authentic Irish culture to Southern California communities since 1985. The dance school is under the direction of Máire O’Connell, who began the Claddagh School of Irish Dancing in 1985 and is fully accredited to teach, adjudicate, and examine by the Irish Dancing Commission of Ireland and Dublin. There are three additional certified teachers who run various locations, including Kelly Sullivan in Ventura and Annie Darlington in both South Bay and Ventura, with Annie also serving as choreographer. Máire O’Connell holds B.A., H.D.E., and LL.B. degrees from University College, Galway, and has served as President of the Western Region of Teachers and Adjudicators and President of the Irish American Club of Ventura County.
Claddagh Dance Company describes its focus as “Fun. Fitness. Family. Become a part of our Claddagh dance family!” Students range from four to adult and learn a mix of solo and group dances in traditional soft and hard shoes, and Irish dancing crosses all ethnicities at the school. Claddagh is proud to include over fifty North American Championship Irish dancers in solo and team events, as well as overseas champions, and every year students travel abroad to compete in and win world championships. Students also participate in community events, and Ms. O’Connell has been active in the Irish-American community as a speaker and judge at a variety of events, as well as a 1995 honoree of the City of Los Angeles for her participation in the Irish community of Southern California.
One parent, Christina M., reports that her children started at Claddagh using a new student coupon for a free month of Irish dance and have continued dancing and improving, noting that older dancers take care of beginning dancers and that students travel abroad to compete in and win world championships. Another parent, Julie D., states that the Claddagh School of Irish Dance taught her daughter Irish dance steps, gave her chances to dance on teams and in solos, and that her daughter looked forward to class time and learned a little bit of Irish history there.
Last updated May 12, 2026.
• Ages: 4–18 years old
• Price: Claddagh is currently offering a special for new beginner dancers, with a coupon for a free month of dance classes that is good at any of their locations.
Claddagh Dance Company has been family run for 35 years and has added a touch of authentic Irish culture to Southern California communities since 1985. The dance school is under the direction of Máire O’Connell, who began the Claddagh School of Irish Dancing in 1985 and is fully accredited to teach, adjudicate, and examine by the Irish Dancing Commission of Ireland and Dublin. There are three additional certified teachers who run various locations, including Kelly Sullivan in Ventura and Annie Darlington in both South Bay and Ventura, with Annie also serving as choreographer. Máire O’Connell holds B.A., H.D.E., and LL.B. degrees from University College, Galway, and has served as President of the Western Region of Teachers and Adjudicators and President of the Irish American Club of Ventura County.
Claddagh Dance Company describes its focus as “Fun. Fitness. Family. Become a part of our Claddagh dance family!” Students range from four to adult and learn a mix of solo and group dances in traditional soft and hard shoes, and Irish dancing crosses all ethnicities at the school. Claddagh is proud to include over fifty North American Championship Irish dancers in solo and team events, as well as overseas champions, and every year students travel abroad to compete in and win world championships. Students also participate in community events, and Ms. O’Connell has been active in the Irish-American community as a speaker and judge at a variety of events, as well as a 1995 honoree of the City of Los Angeles for her participation in the Irish community of Southern California.
One parent, Christina M., reports that her children started at Claddagh using a new student coupon for a free month of Irish dance and have continued dancing and improving, noting that older dancers take care of beginning dancers and that students travel abroad to compete in and win world championships. Another parent, Julie D., states that the Claddagh School of Irish Dance taught her daughter Irish dance steps, gave her chances to dance on teams and in solos, and that her daughter looked forward to class time and learned a little bit of Irish history there.
Last updated May 12, 2026.
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