Irish dancing body expects 10 disciplinary hearings into alleged fixing to be completed by mid-March

The world’s largest and oldest governing body for Irish dancing has said the first 10 disciplinary hearings into alleged competition fixing will be completed by mid-March.

In July 2022, a dossier purportedly showing evidence of extensive competition fixing was handed in to An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG). The allegations were related to a competition taking place in 2019 but were only submitted to the body in 2022 and later leaked online.

Contained within the dossier were screenshots of text messages appearing to show efforts by dancing instructors to secure high scores for their students from fellow teachers. Originally 12 teachers were implicated in the controversy, but the number later rose to 44.

The CLRG announced all 44 individuals would go through disciplinary hearings, which are being conducted by an independent panel.

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In a statement on Friday, the CLRG said three disciplinary cases took place last year, with a further four having been heard in January. An additional three cases are scheduled to be heard by mid-March.

Books of evidence are being prepared and disciplinary hearings are being scheduled for the remaining cases with the goal of concluding all cases by the summer.

Once all of the hearings are concluded, the outcomes and any penalties handed-down will be communicated in line with CLRG’s disciplinary procedures, the CLRG said.

The update was provided in advance of the 2024 All-Ireland Championships, due to take place in Killarney next week. More than 2,000 dancers from all over the world will be competing.

Following the cheating scandal, the CLRG made a number of changes to the way competitions were run and judged.

The organisation said these “enhanced adjudication procedures”, which include sequestration of adjudicators and timed release of competitor numbers, will be in place for the forthcoming competition.

“We have invested considerable time to create an external, independent disciplinary process to conduct hearings for those individuals facing allegations of wrongdoing and potential disciplinary action,” a spokesman for the organisation said.

[ The feis-fixing scandal that rocked Irish dancing ]

“The hearings are moving forward and we are committed to having the remaining cases heard and concluded by the summer.”

The spokesman said ensuring the highest standards of adjudication at competitions is “of the utmost importance”.

“We are looking forward to seeing the very best Irish dancers in the world showcasing their talent and skill in Killarney, and I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all of our competitors throughout the week the very best of luck.”

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