A Joyful Way: Love of the Irish

By Liv Stecker

When Deirdre Abeid launched the Haran School of Irish Dance outside of Kettle Falls in 1992, she had no idea the legacy that had begun. A first generation descendant of an Irish immigrant mother, Deirdre was handed down the spirit of her national heritage in the form of music and dancing. A prolific singer, musician, and step dancer, “Dooda”, as her family and close friends affectionately called her, brought her Irish cultural education with her to Stevens County when she moved here to raise her family in the late 1970s.  

In addition to leading the choir at her beloved church and participating in local community theater as an actor, dancer and choreographer, Deirdre and her husband Simon raised their three children, cultivated a small farm and served the community in countless ways. Always full of life and energy, Deirdre was tirelessly busy and involved in the lives of many people. In 1992, Hopi Schott was one of the first three students that began taking lessons in the upstairs of Simon’s shop. “I remember how effortless Dooda was in her dancing, and joyful in her ways of teaching, and how none of us could have guessed what we had  started that summer.” She recalls.

What began as a few local students in the early nineties snowballed into a busy and active dance studio after Deirdre earned her TCRG teaching certificate – Teasgicoir Choimisiuin Le Rinci Gaelacha – from the Dublin-based Irish Dance Commission and students began to compete regionally and nationally. Deirdre’s life was tragically cut short in 2004 after she was diagnosed with cancer during a trip to Ireland with a group of her students. But the legacy of her Irish heritage has been preserved as her daughters, Claire and Caitlin, carry on the torch of her dance studios in Kettle Falls and Spokane.

Caitlin runs the Haran dance school near Ninth and Perry in Spokane, producing hundreds of students that have learned, performed and competed all over the region and world. Abeid’s son, Mellad, formed a Celtic band in Spokane, known as An Dóchas (Gaelic for “The Hope”), who frequently play with the Haran Dancers in large stage productions.

Claire has remained in Kettle Falls, taking over the original dance studio after Deirdre’s passing, owning her mother’s perspective on the dance as a timeless enjoyment. In an interview with the Seattle Times in 1997, Deirdre was quoted in response to the sudden upswing of interest due to the popularity of Riverdance, “...for those of us who have been doing it long before, we'll still be here after it wanes. It's a joyful way to dance. And people who take it up find a love of it themselves."

From her teenage years, Claire taught classes of all levels, taking over the instruction completely during her mother’s illness, and continuously since, even while touring with professional dance troupes including Michael Londra’s (of Riverdance) Celtic Fire and the Ireland based Celtic Legends. Averaging 60 students at any given time, Claire’s community focus on keeping her mother’s vision alive has enabled countless local dancers to perform and compete on national and international stages.

Many world class competitors and professional performance level dancers have come out of the studio, including Brittany Roberson, who began dancing as a young girl with Deirdre and Claire. Brittany started teaching at the studio while Claire was pregnant with her first baby in the fall of 2014. Now the two instructors tag-team classes of all levels, from beginner to world champion level, including classes one day a week in Chewelah at the Aaron Huff Memorial Cultural Center. Brittany helps to cover the bases while Claire continues to work as a choreographer for Michael Londra. The Kettle Falls Haran School of Irish Dance is launching several new beginner level classes this spring as they prepare for a show in April and competition season begins. Now the mother of a toddler, Claire looks forward to incorporating her young son in the family tradition.

Deirdre’s passion for her Irish heritage and her love for people lives on in the joyful dance that her daughters give to the  community. Before her death, Deirdre wrote: "Try to live like Jesus ...see love in every face and try to give that love back." In the happy steps of hundreds of dancers, Deirdre still gives love back to countless people in Stevens County and beyond. If you are interested in finding out more about joining a class with the Haran Dancers, please contact Claire and/or Brittany by email or dancingharan@gmail.com dancingbritty@gmail.com or phone 509-690-7088. You can also find more information on their facebook page, Kettle Falls Haran School of Irish Dance.