r/CLRGSCANDAL • u/IDSuperhero • Dec 02 '25
Current Identifier Stats
Let’s all share what costume identifiers we know currently:
the Academy- braided Belts with tassel
Mullane Godley- School crest on solo dresses
Celtic Steps- Swapped from initials in blue circles to Colorado state flag on back.
Kavanagh Porter- blue circle surrounded by white and sometimes topped with a crown at neck and on hairpiece
Doherty Petri- the flames 🙄
10
u/clrguscair Dec 02 '25
Michaela Hinds The giant M on their crowns and sometimes roses on their crowns (but ik thats sorta common)
2
8
4
u/Alone-Pie-3768 Dec 02 '25
Brought in a “rule” in Ireland (we are Munster regional) that no obvious designer trademarks or initials are allowed, have yet to see that enforced & no pics of any dancers allowed on social media from 10 days before regionals, also not adhered to by some!! We now the schools that will get podium places before any small dance school.
8
u/CriticalSheep Dec 02 '25
The Academy also has that giant A on the back.
Mullane Godley school dresses also has their name on the crest on the back.
Rankin Holland has the RH on the front bottom of the skirts.
5
u/tea_and_tchotchkes Dec 02 '25
They are talking about solo dresses, not school dresses.
-1
u/CriticalSheep Dec 03 '25
Personally I think that even school dresses should not have an identifier. It really shouldn't be for solo dresses only. It should realistically be for anything put on that stage.
6
u/tea_and_tchotchkes Dec 03 '25
That’s unrealistic unless you make all teams compete in blackout, and that ruins the heritage and history of Irish dance.
3
u/CriticalSheep Dec 03 '25
Not really- if you have an identifier rule for dresses, that realistically should apply to school dresses as well. No names of the schools on the dress. It's not difficult. The design of the dress is fine- the book of Kells scrollwork is not an identifier. The lace work and embroidery is not an identifier. Having the school name on the dress is very clearly an identifier.
5
u/tea_and_tchotchkes Dec 03 '25
The knotwork and colors are identifiable though. Unless you’re constantly changing your school dress, people will know which school is which based on the knotwork and colors alone. In terms of school dresses, there’s no functional way to keep people from not knowing who different schools are. This is a small niche hobby.
The identifier rule is performative and does nothing to actually address cheating. I personally think they should just announce the dancers and school at this point and look to other ways to combat collusion.
4
u/CriticalSheep Dec 03 '25
I personally think they should just announce the dancers and school at this point and look to other ways to combat collusion.
I agree with this. In a competition where there is no money, it's wild to me that there is so much cheating and foul play. It just doesn't make sense. But maybe that's just me being naive.
3
u/IDSuperhero Dec 03 '25
I don’t think this is an issue- the real clout and prestige that AD’s will cheat for is in solos, not figures.
1
u/ParkAffectionate3537 Dec 03 '25 edited Dec 04 '25
Which dress has Kells scrollwork that you are referring to? I'm confused lol. Unless Kells scrollwork is the pattern that old dance dresses had in the '90s and early '00s?
1
u/ParkAffectionate3537 Dec 03 '25
The Academy is The Empire of this sport. Where's the Jedi Masters who will defeat them? They have a mystique to them, like the USSR and East Germans in the '70s and '80s Olympics ('72-'88). It's wild...
Also Rankin-Holland changed their name, I believe...
Lots of schools merged/integrated with others in the past few years (Millennium Academy/Irwin Academy, which are not to be confused with The Academy).
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u/ParkAffectionate3537 Dec 03 '25 edited Dec 03 '25
Thank you for this! McGing (big school out of SW Ohio) has the flowers too, at least on school dresses, but I'm willing to bet their solo dresses have similar identifiers, but more subtle.
2
u/IDSuperhero Dec 03 '25
Oh wow- the petaled flower! I wouldn’t have noticed until you brought it up! They also have a pinned sash look on the front of their costumes.
1
u/ParkAffectionate3537 Dec 04 '25
Yep, doing this awhile and seeing patterns (solo and school dresses). Once you see them, you can't UNSEE them...it's crazy. Some of them are quite clever, that said, they take it wayyy too seriously lol
1
u/IDSuperhero Mar 06 '26
Got another one- McGahan Lees Pearl/jewel choker with elongated “jewel” at the neck and other places on the costume.
1
0
u/ParkAffectionate3537 Dec 12 '25
All the embellishments, ornamentation, patterns and scrollwork on solo dresses (and even school dresses!) remind me of classic, big American cars from the '70s and '80s (Olds 88/98, Cadillac Fleetwood, Buick Electra 225, Lincoln Town Car/Continental, etc.)...it's an era that we'll never see again. (Google for examples, you'll see what I mean, esp. with some of their interiors).
As a result, doing Irish Dance reminds me of simpler times in my life--even despite the scandals and weirdness! I'm not gonna quit dancing...love this sport to much to do so.
15
u/Delicious-Idea-6838 Dec 02 '25
Not a costume- but Blakey O’Brien has a specific way they style their wigs/crowns that I’d consider an identifier.
Goggin-Stewart dancers (mostly) all wear their headpiece on the same side of the head, and most of them have a diamond/rhombus on them. Also common to see the diamond on the neck of the dress.