Kathleen began her Irish dancing career at the age of 5 studying with Ann Richens in Dayton, Ohio. In addition to those classes, Kathleen had the opportunity to practice at home under the watchful eye of her late Aunt Tess Donnelly, who started teaching Irish Dance in Dayton, OH in the late 1950’s at the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
Kathleen first competed at the World Championships in Dublin, Ireland in 1983 at eleven years of age. In 1986, Kathleen transferred to the Hoswell School, which is affiliated with the Dayton Hibernians. This school later became the Celtic Academy of Irish Dance in 1987. She continued her competitive career qualifying for the World Championships three more times, including in April 1990 at the World Championships in Cork, Ireland. She continued to be a competitive dancer during her college years, dancing as a soloist and ceili team member at the Regional Championships until 1997.
Kathleen graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aviation Management in 1995. In March 1998, Kathleen received her official teaching certification (TCRG) from An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha, the Irish Dancing Governing Board in Ireland. She was co-director at the Celtic Academy of Irish Dance for 13 years. In December 2011, Kathleen opened the Dwyer School of Irish Dance to offer multi-level training programs tailored to each dancer’s needs. Kathleen is passionate about this individualized approach, which accelerates dancers to reach their highest goals.
In November 2018, she was honored to be elected to the IDTAMA Ethics Committee.
The Cincinnati Arts Association selected Kathleen to judge at the 2013 & 2018 Annual Overture Awards Regional Scholarship Competition held at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, which is a prestigious honor.
Her teaching ability and passion for Irish Dance have helped dancers compete successfully at local competitions, the Regional Championships, the North American Championships, and the World Championships, with top-five finishes at these events at the highest levels.
Kathleen is a member of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Irish Dance Teachers Association of Mid-America (IDTAMA), Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America (IDTANA), and An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha.
She and her husband, Shane, live in Centerville with their two sons, Sean and Aidan. Kathleen plans to continue what her Aunt Tess started almost 70 years ago, sharing the love of Irish Dance and culture with children of all ages.
