A CHAMPION Irish dancer who injured her lower back in a car crash in 1995 has been awarded almost £18,000 damages in the Circuit Civil Court.
Judge Raymond Groarke said Ms Anita Kearns, of Moycullen Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin, had achieved the highest standards attainable in Irish dancing.
"To have become AllIreland Open Champion requires the greatest dedication, daily practice involving great sacrifice of many other privileges another young person would have in the course of growing up," he said.
Judge Groarke told Mr John Nolan, counsel for Ms Kearns, he had no doubt that because of her love of and dedication to the art his client would one day, hopefully soon, achieve her ambition to qualify as an Irish dancing teacher.
He said Ms Kearns, now living in Manchester, had suffered a serious diminution in the quality of her life as a result of the accident. She had been in a taxi which had rear ended another car on the Naas dual carriageway two years ago.
Ms Kearns (24) had told the court that from the age of nine she had won all Ireland titles for various age groups and a year before the accident had won the all Ireland open title. She had been halfway through a course to become a dance teacher when the accident occurred.