'Dancing since the day she was born' - Carlow girl (2) carries on family tradition

Molly May Murnane with mum and auntplaceholder image
Molly May Murnane with mum and aunt

Molly May from Graiguecullen has been attending dance lessons at Dargan School of Dance since she was six weeks old

Molly May from Carlow is only two and a half years old but she can Irish dance like she's been practicing for years!

Molly's mum Claudia Dargan, from Graiguecullen in Carlow, has been dancing herself since she was four years old and she has carried the life-long tradition over to her daughter.

Molly's sister Adeline Dargan is the head of Dargan School of Dance where Molly has been attending since she was six weeks old.

Her mum Claudia told Carlow Live that Molly has been dancing "literally since the day she was born. She went to her first class at six weeks old. She goes to dancing three times a week with Adeline.

"So she's literally at Irish dancing all the time. She loves all types of dance. She loves the singing too, but she especially loves Irish dancing.

"So I dance, my sister dances, and my brother dances as well. So it's kind of a family run thing and we're all kind of involved in it. I've been dancing since I was four."

Molly May recently met President Catherine Connolly at the Pan Celtic festival held in Carlow after taking part in the welcome dance the President of Ireland.placeholder image
Molly May recently met President Catherine Connolly at the Pan Celtic festival held in Carlow after taking part in the welcome dance the President of Ireland.

"She was practicing for six to eight weeks in the lead up to Pan-Celtic with the group of dancers that were dancing. She seems to love it."

Claudia said her daughter loves Irish dancing. "Even the minute she hears the slightest bit of Irish dance music she's hopping up on the floor.

"You would swear I nearly make her, but she just genuinely loves Irish music. She loves any sort of traditional Irish music, anything at all. She'll hop up on the floor and she'll start jumping around."

The family-run Dardan School of Dance celebrated 25 years at the end of 2025.

Claudia said her family is "absolutely thrilled" that Molly May is able to carry on the family tradition of dance, especially because between her and her sister they all have sons who have no interest in dance.

"My mom is so, so delighted that she's going to be the next little Dargan dancer and that there'll be someone to carry on the tradition and carry on the school and for the future.placeholder image
"My mom is so, so delighted that she's going to be the next little Dargan dancer and that there'll be someone to carry on the tradition and carry on the school and for the future.

"She's very special to us as well. She was born the week after her great grandmother had passed away. She's actually named after her.

"She's Molly May Mary Murnane. She's just so eccentric and she's so, so bubbly, such a bubbly friendly kind of little child. She just amazes us all the time because she is such a young age. She will have a full blown conversation like an adult."

Claudia also has a TikTok page for Molly which receives lots of support from people amazed by the bubbly and talented little girl who is only two and a half years old.

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