Deirdre O’ Mara is from Dublin Ireland, & studied with Marie Walsh ADCRG and Mary McElroy S.D.C.R.G.
💚 Our Story
It all started back in 1997, when Deirdre O’Mara stepped in to cover a class for fellow Irish dance teacher Niall O’Leary. One class led to another — and soon she was teaching her own group in the backroom of the Lansdowne Bar on Broadway in the Bronx.
From those humble beginnings grew a vibrant dance community that has inspired countless students across New York and Connecticut for over 25 years.
At the heart of the Deirdre O’Mara School of Irish Dance is a simple mission:
To nurture the whole child — mind, body, and spirit — in an atmosphere of growth, joy, and inspiration, while striving for excellence in the art of Irish dance.
Maura Heron TCRG Maura started Irish dancing at age six with the Margaret Pike School in Yonkers. She passed her TCRG exam in July 2014. Maura is an attorney in New York City.
Adrian Kelly, ADCRG
Adrian began his Irish dance journey at the age of seven, training alongside his sisters at the renowned Maguire O’Shea Academy. Every week, they traveled an hour and a half by public transport to attend classes — a true testament to their family’s dedication and love for the art form.
Under the guidance of this talented, family-centered academy, Adrian thrived both as a performer and competitor. His commitment and passion led him to win over 50 major titles and hundreds of championships, performing in shows across the globe.
After earning his TCRG certification with CLRG, Adrian founded the Adrian Kelly Academy of Irish Dance, which soon evolved into The Irish Dance Academy — co-led with his longtime friend Sean McNicholas, formerly of Lord of the Dance. His sister Charaina, herself a World medalist, later joined the team after achieving her TCRG.
With a professional background in education, physical education, and sports development, Adrian brings a deep understanding of teaching and athletic performance to his dancers. Over the past 12 years, his schools have developed dancers from their very first steps into All Ireland, All Scotland, British, and North American Champions, as well as World medalists.
In 2021, Adrian launched his first international workshop partnership with the Eireann Academy in Australia, and in January 2023, he began an exciting collaboration with Deirdre O’Mara & Scoil Rince Saoirse. Adrian says,
“It’s a school full of super-talented dancers, where the children are truly at the heart of everything Deirdre does. I’m thrilled to see this partnership grow — with the support of the parents, I know we’ll create many great memories together.”
Michael danced for Anne-Marie Cunningham ADCRG and Kevin McCormack ADCRG. After a successful competition career including 4 golds at European Championships (qualifiers for Mainland Europe) and other medals at Great Britain Championships, All Ireland’s, All Scotland’s, among many other majors and open feiseanna in Europe and the USA, including The World Championships, he toured all over the globe with Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames, as well as partook in their Broadway production “Dangerous Games”. Since 2009, he has been teaching regular classes and performance workshops in Ireland, USA, Austria, Germany and Poland. He choreographed and directed 3 Irish dance shows, and helped with numerous other productions. Michael has an extensive dance training in various genres including ballet, jazz, tap, modern dance, as well as Alexander technique. He draws knowledge from each form, making it fit into jig shoes, putting an emphasis on alignment for healthy and sustainable dance habits. He is a proud graduate of the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater.
Tara is originally from the Bay Area (Go, San Francisco Giants!!). Tara started dancing as a wee tiny tot, beginning her journey with ballet, jazz, hip hop, and Irish dance. At the age of five, she competed in her very first Irish dance competition under the instruction of The Rosemary Turco School of Irish Dance. Tara continued to train in all styles of dance, and spent many years performing as a featured Irish dancer for the Celtic band Molly’s Revenge. Tara made her Off-broadway debut in 2018 with Brooklyn Irish Dance Company in A Celtic Christmas Story, and now works in film and TV as a choreographer and movement director. She has had the great pleasure of working closely with Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Mahershala Ali, and others.
Brianna has been a student at Scoil Rince Saoirse since she was 5 years old. Now, 17 years later, she is moving onto the next stage of her dance career to pursue her passion to teach Irish dance. During her years dancing at SRS, she has become the Mid-Atlantic region champion, top 5 in the nation x2, and a World Medal Holder. In December of 2023, Brianna had the opportunity to dance in Lord of the Dance: Feet of Flames in Taiwan. Brianna is so excited to work with and give back to the school that has helped her accomplish so many of her Irish Dance dreams!
Magnolia Valverde
Magnolia began Irish dancing at the age of five with Scoil Rince Saoirse and is now
continuing her journey as both a competitor and assistant teacher. She is in Open Championships and is a multi-time World Qualifier at the Mid-Atlantic Region Oireachtas and the North American Championships, earning recall medals at both as well as at the CLRG World Championships. Magnolia has also placed in the Top 10 in the region and has won numerous feises throughout her career. She is excited to give back to the school that has shaped her as a dancer and a person, sharing her love for Irish dance with the community that means so much to her!
