The Midwest Oireachtas refers to an annual regional championship competition. Oireachtas are held by several Irish dance organizations globally, including the Irish Dance Teachers Association of Mid-America (IDTAMA). The IDTAMA region includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The Mid-America Regional Oireachtas is held over the Thanksgiving weekend. This competition is a World Championship qualifying event.
Oireachtas photos: Indianapolis 2022, Schaumberg 2021, Louisville 2019
The North American Irish Dance Championships (NAIDC) are held annually in North America over the first week of July and are hosted on a rotational basis by each region. The NAIDC is one of the premier Irish dance competitions worldwide and it is a World Championship qualifier. Over 5000 dancers compete in these events.
The Irish Dance Teacher's Association of North America (IDTANA) and the Irish Dance Teachers of Mid-America (IDTAMA) operate in tandem with An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG) in Dublin, Ireland. All members must be registered and certified as a TMRF (Céili instructor), TCRG (solo/Céili instructor) or ADCRG (adjudicator) by CLRG and all dancers who compete in these Major competitions must be taught by a certified teacher (TCRG or TMRF).
Nationals Photos: Nashville 2023, Montreal 2022, Phoenix 2021, Vancouver 2019, Orlando 2018, New Orleans 2017
The Irish Dancing World Championships (Worlds) is an annual Irish stepdance competition run by An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG) -the Irish Dancing Commission. (https://www.clrg.ie)
Dancers may qualify for the World Championships only by achieving a high placement at their Oireachtas or National Championships in the year prior. This event is held on Easter Week each year and the hosting city rotates.
Worlds photos: Montreal 2023, Belfast 2022