Once avoided as unfashionable by the children of the rich in urban Ireland, Irish dancing is becoming an  expensive pastime and the cost is rising, according to irishcentral.com

One New York mother, who travelled with her dancing daughter to the 2010  North American Irish Dancing Championships in Orlando, said the cost is now getting so large that many parents are reconsidering whether it’s worth it all.

“There’s the dress which is the most expensive bit of kit,” she said, “Generally each school designs its own dressed. These range between, say, $800 for a cheap one, and $2500 for a really elaborate one”.

Once the pricey dress is paid for there are shoes and a wig to buy, not to mention gallons of fake tan which seemed to be ubiquitous at this year’s competition. Wigs cost from $50 to $100.

The biggest cost, is tuition. Although it cost a fairly modest $50 per month for basic tuition, the training takes years, and coming up to competition-time, it is often necessary to take hours and hours of advanced preparation lessons in order to boost your chances of success as much as possible.