Two NT dancers to make history at the 2025 World Irish Dancing Championships in Dublin
For the first time in history, the Northern Territory will be represented at the prestigious CLRG World Irish Dancing Championships – and two talented young dancers are stepping up to the challenge.
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Darwin’s Irish dancing scene is about to make history, as two young stars from the Top End take their talent to the world stage in Dublin next month.
Ava Rochford (13) and Lily-Rose McCarthy (11) will become the first-ever Northern Territory dancers to compete at the CLRG World Irish Dancing Championships, the pinnacle event in the sport.
The duo, who train at Tara Academy Darwin under the guidance of mother-daughter coaching team Vanessa O’Toole Frew and Christine Collie, qualified for the world championships after placing in the top five at the South Australia, Northern Territory and Tasmanian Regional Championships in Adelaide last year.
Christine said the moment she realised the girls were making history was when she struggled to even register them for the event.
“It became apparent that the girls were making history when we couldn’t select NT on the entry form,” she said.
“I had to contact the organisers in Ireland and get their web team to include us.
“We’re over 3000km away from the other 90 CLRG Irish dancing schools in Australia, so it really does feel like another country up here.”
Despite the geographical challenge, Ava and Lily-Rose have embraced the training, balancing school with rigorous dance schedules that include skipping, stretching, and technical practice multiple times a week.
Ava, whose father is Irish, fell in love with the sport after stumbling into a dance class next to a boxing gym.
“My favourite thing is definitely travelling with my friends and family and performing,” she said.
“I’m more confident in my hornpipe than any other dance because I love the hard shoe routines – I can get really loud with my bangs, and I’m super competitive when it comes to hard shoes.”
For Lily-Rose, the love of Irish dance runs in the family.
“My whole family is Irish, and my aunty actually danced at the Worlds,” she said.
“It’s my happy place. I love meeting new people and getting to perform and travel with my dance friends.”
The young dancers won’t be competing against each other, as they are in different age groups, giving the NT double the chance of bringing home a victory.
But win or lose, both say they’re in it for the experience.
“We’re not expecting anything – just getting the chance to go is the best experience ever,” Miss Rochford said.
“If we place, that would be amazing, but really, we just want to have fun with friends and family.”
Their coaches couldn’t be prouder, with Vanessa comparing the event to the Olympics of Irish dancing.
“The standard of dancing at Worlds is unmatched,” she said.
“The athleticism of the dancers makes it a real spectacle.
“We are immensely proud of Ava and Lily-Rose … and they’ll come back to Darwin more motivated than ever before – we can’t wait to watch them on stage (via online streaming) and cheer them on from Darwin.”
Lily-Rose summed up the excitement best.
“Just getting on that stage is a big accomplishment – and the best part is, I get to do it with Ava by my side,” she said.
The 2025 CLRG World Irish Dancing Championships will be held in Dublin from April 13-20, attracting over 25,000 attendees from around the globe.
NT fans can watch the competition live via FeisTV.
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Originally published as Two NT dancers to make history at the 2025 World Irish Dancing Championships in Dublin
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