Our History
The group was started in Wilkes-Barre in 1996 as was known for the next 10 years as the Butler Academy. Our founder, Patrick Butler T.C.R.G. was a member of the well known Butler Family. His mother, the late Mae Butler A.D.C.R.G, started The Butler Academy in Dublin Ireland over 70 years ago. She was also the first Lady to bring Irish Dancing to Canada and served as the vice president of the Irish Dance Commission in Dublin Ireland. His sister, the late June Butler, also had a very successful school in Canada known now as the Butler-Fearon-O'Connor School of Irish Dance still operating in both Canada and California.
Patrick Butler was an accomplished dancer who retired from dancing as the undefeated Canadian and North American Champion. He entertained for the Queen of England, the late President John F. Kennedy and at Carnegie Hall with Carmel Quinn. He received his T.C.R.G. and began over 15 school locations in New York and Pennsylvania, including the Wilkes-Barre PA class. In his over 30 years of teaching, he produced numerous regional, national and world champions as well as other students who went on to become certified Irish Dance Teachers (T.C.R.G.). He even coached several dancers who went on to perform with Riverdance and many others who also obtained their T.C.R.Gs.
He formed the Butler Academy in Wilkes-Barre in 1996 with just a handful of members, (some of whom are still active dancers with Scoil Rince Na Connemara). The group focused on competitive dancing, including discipline, proper technique and correct execution of steps. In 1996, a professional and personal relationship blossomed between the Peter Degnan Ballet Studio and the Butler Academy. The Butler Academy had many accomplishments including dancing with Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul on multiple occasions, participating in St. Patrick's Day parades and as the main performers for the Irish Teachers Festival in Dallas (as a part of the TV series Windsor Park Stories). As the school was focused heavily on competitive dancing, almost every weekend dancers headed to feisianna (competitions) all over the East Coast bringing home hundreds of medals and awards over the years. Many members qualified and attended the regional Oireachtas and others the North American National Championships.
After Patrick Butler passed away in 2007, the local Kingston group became known as Scoil Rince Na Connemara under the direction of two of his senior dancers, Kerrilee DeHart and Molly Ginley. The group continues to focus on discipline, proper technique and execution of traditional as well as modern variations of Irish Step Dance. In 2009, the school became affiliated with the North American Irish Dance Federation in order to allow the dancers to compete in Open Platform feisianna continuing with the original vision of the group. In 2011, the school followed Kristin Degnan (co-founder of Degnan Ballet) and Ballet Northeast to become a part of Wilkes University Conservatory of Music and were considered to be the Irish Contingent of Ballet Northeast, Scoil Rince na Connemara. Beginning in 2015, Connemara formed a partnership with the Harris Conservatory for the Arts and hold classes with the Joan Harris Dancers in Luzerne. The school is continuing to be involved with performances and competitions under the open platform organization Rince Tuatha Nua.
Patrick Butler was an accomplished dancer who retired from dancing as the undefeated Canadian and North American Champion. He entertained for the Queen of England, the late President John F. Kennedy and at Carnegie Hall with Carmel Quinn. He received his T.C.R.G. and began over 15 school locations in New York and Pennsylvania, including the Wilkes-Barre PA class. In his over 30 years of teaching, he produced numerous regional, national and world champions as well as other students who went on to become certified Irish Dance Teachers (T.C.R.G.). He even coached several dancers who went on to perform with Riverdance and many others who also obtained their T.C.R.Gs.
He formed the Butler Academy in Wilkes-Barre in 1996 with just a handful of members, (some of whom are still active dancers with Scoil Rince Na Connemara). The group focused on competitive dancing, including discipline, proper technique and correct execution of steps. In 1996, a professional and personal relationship blossomed between the Peter Degnan Ballet Studio and the Butler Academy. The Butler Academy had many accomplishments including dancing with Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul on multiple occasions, participating in St. Patrick's Day parades and as the main performers for the Irish Teachers Festival in Dallas (as a part of the TV series Windsor Park Stories). As the school was focused heavily on competitive dancing, almost every weekend dancers headed to feisianna (competitions) all over the East Coast bringing home hundreds of medals and awards over the years. Many members qualified and attended the regional Oireachtas and others the North American National Championships.
After Patrick Butler passed away in 2007, the local Kingston group became known as Scoil Rince Na Connemara under the direction of two of his senior dancers, Kerrilee DeHart and Molly Ginley. The group continues to focus on discipline, proper technique and execution of traditional as well as modern variations of Irish Step Dance. In 2009, the school became affiliated with the North American Irish Dance Federation in order to allow the dancers to compete in Open Platform feisianna continuing with the original vision of the group. In 2011, the school followed Kristin Degnan (co-founder of Degnan Ballet) and Ballet Northeast to become a part of Wilkes University Conservatory of Music and were considered to be the Irish Contingent of Ballet Northeast, Scoil Rince na Connemara. Beginning in 2015, Connemara formed a partnership with the Harris Conservatory for the Arts and hold classes with the Joan Harris Dancers in Luzerne. The school is continuing to be involved with performances and competitions under the open platform organization Rince Tuatha Nua.