Looking for love-

Katie Dolac / Culpeper Star Exponent
Published: May 24, 2007

Maire Flanagan of Rathuil-All Things Irish isn't making any promises, but she happens to know there will be several eligible young men at the Brandon's Place ceili Sunday.

"That's where (my friend) Sarah met her husband, that's where I met my husband, where my parents met, my grandparents met," Flanagan said. "That's what we do."

The strapping lad who became Flanagan's husband literally "swept her off her feet" at a ceili, leaving her best friend and dancing partner Sarah Kelly to fend for herself. Luckily, Kelly (who will teach and call the Sunday dance) met her husband at the following ceili (pronounced KAY-lee).

"We both got real men," Flanagan laughed.

Sunday's traditional Irish social features renowned Irish fiddler Brendan Mulvihill, singer Brendan Sheridan, tea, coffee, brown bread, scones ("something to just nosh on while they're there," Flanagan said) and, of course, dancing.

Flanagan is so excited that she's been dancing all week.
Mulvihill comes from a long line Irish of musicians and is widely known in the Irish circles of the Washington, D.C. area. He came to the area during the 1970s for a weeklong gig that stretched into several years.

"Irish people who go for music - that's all she wrote," Flanagan said of Mulvihill.

Sunday's ceili will be smaller, cozier and more intimate than past dancing socials, Flanagan said.

The traditional Irish dance is similar to American square dancing, with lots of movement and swinging, Flanagan said.
"Its nickname is 'Irish Aerobics,' " she said.

Ahem. Let that be fair warning to wear appropriate shoes (that means no sneaks - they tend to stick to the floor).

Katie Dolac can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 138 or .