02/01/2025
Monica McElhatton - TCRG, ADCRG
Monica McElhatton learned her first steps in Irish Dancing in a Gaeltacht district in County Tyrone from her grandparents, Bridget and Patrick Keenan, dance masters and fluent Irish speakers. She learned her steps as she counted in Irish; that lit a fire in Monica that has burned ever since. Continuing the tradition in Western Canada and developing into a serious and skilled competitor, Monica was among the first group of dancers in this region to qualify to dance at Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne; she completed her successful amateur career when she retired from competition after representing Western Canada for a final time at the World’s in 1983. Monica took a hiatus from Irish Dancing, then, to pursue studies in English and Irish literature, the Arts, and Education; she graduated from the University of Alberta with an MA degree in English in 1991 and has enjoyed a career in Education since then - teaching English in Middle School, High School, and at the Post Secondary level. With a fierce desire to reenter the world of competitive Irish Dancing and immerse her own four children in this beautiful art form, Monica opened the McElhatton School of Irish Dancing in Edmonton in early 2003 and earned her TCRG in Dublin in November that year. In June, 2015, Monica qualified as an ADCRG in Cork and has enjoyed watching dancers of all ages and skill levels compete ever since. Monica looks forward to meeting friends, old and new, at the 2025 Van Eire Feis and Van Eire City Championships!
