A YOUNG Irish dancer who is taught by her grandparents, aunties and her mum has danced her way to success at her first World Championships.
Clodagh McCarron-Zylfiu was in Chicago this month to take part in the 2026 World Irish Dancing Championships.
The 10-year-old is a pupil of McCarron Dance in Birmingham, where she is taught by her grandparents Helena and Kevin McCarron, her mother Siobhan and her aunties Sinead and Leona, who is a former World Championships winner herself.
Clodagh McCarron-Zylfiu pictured at the World Irish Dancing Championships in Chicago this monthThe family’s roots lie in counties Louth, Cavan, Sligo and Leitrim.
Clodagh has been training with the West Midlands academy since the age of three, and her trip to the US was the first time she has competed at the Worlds.
Held at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel in Schaumbur, Illinois, the annual event brought thousands of Irish dancers from across the world together to compete for top level titles.
Clodagh’s performance at the event saw her bring home a world medal, after placing an impressive 13th out of more than 100 of the best dancers in her category from around the world.
“I feel so proud and happy to have had the opportunity to dance on the world stage at the World Irish Dancing Championships,” Clodagh told the Irish Post this week after returning from the competition.
“It was an amazing experience, and I loved every minute of it,” she added.
Clodagh pictured at the Irish Centre in Birmingham where McCarron Dance trainsThe schoolgirl, who attends Irish dance classes at the new Irish Centre in Birmingham’s Kings Heath, thanked everyone who helped her get to the World Championships.
“Thank you to my teachers, family and everyone who supported me I’m so excited to keep working hard and see what comes next,” she said.
“I loved meeting other dancers from around the world and making new friends,” she said of her experience in Chicago.
Clodagh, who is also a Midlands Oireachtas Champion, is already back in training at the Irish Centre and is determined to qualify for the 2027 World Championships, which are due to be held in Birmingham.
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