Morty O’Moriarty

Morty O’Moriarty was one of the most respected of the Itinerant Dance Masters to visit the area in the nineteenth century. He may have originated from Glenbeigh but worked from a number of locations in south-west Kerry.

Seamus Fenton describes another event in Cahersiveen

On the square of the town a number of large wooden doors were laid out side by side on which the dancing competition was held. It was the last time that Morty O'Moriarty adjudi-cated. He called out the names of the parishes and competitors, specifying the order of the dances. On his maximum of 100 " tips " (marks) we were surprised to hear the large number who were marked high up in the nineties. The final decision was accepted without a murmur of complaint, a tribute to the honesty and efficiency of the Glenbeigh dancing-master. The cheers and shouts for the victors waked echoes in the amphi- theatre of surrounding mountains. Morty worked from a dozen outposts in South-West Kerry, of which Cahirdonal was one. Those who were competent to judge said he had no equal as a teacher. He chalked the kitchen floors in oblongs and taught the most difficult traditional dances. Part of his duty on Sundays was to determine and mark off the parish champions, and on fair-days and pattern days to pronounce among inter-parish competitors. A very respectable wanderer, Morty was the last to train the youth to a regulated and rthythmic movement of feet and body.