| | Abstract: | The Burke School of Irish Dance (f. 1958) was founded by an Irish American, Theresa Burke, in Cleveland, Ohio. Her father, Thomas Scott, (b.1906) immigrated from County Sligo in the 1920s to the United States, and initially settled in New York. Her mother was born in County Clare and came to the U.S. a few years after Thomas. Scott was a musician and dance teacher in Cleveland. According to Theresa, he was the first person in Cleveland to teach traditional Irish dancing to a competitive standard. Sharing her father's love for Irish dance, Burke followed in his footsteps as the founder and owner of two Irish dance schools in Ohio, one in Cleveland, the other in Youngstown (f. 1965), and one out of state in Pennsylvania, (f.1971). The collection consists of an honorary achievement award, certificate of appreciation from President Ronald Reagan, certificate of appreciation from Mahoning Valley Gaelic Society, a directory of registered newspaper clippings, programs, a resolution and a scrapbook. | |
