Julia and Kristo give October updates for the podcast with a new website and Substack and chat about prepping for the upcoming oireachtas season.

Visit our new website here: https://planxtypodcast.com/

And join our Substack here: https://planxtypodcast.substack.com/

Half-way to St. Patrick’s Day finds us chatting with Jessie Leach who founded Jig and a Swig in 2019 after a competitive career in Irish dancing which included being crowned Great Britain, All-Ireland and North American Champion, as well as placing 3rd in the World Championships. In 2016, Jessie qualified as an Irish dance teacher with the CLRG, before joining the cast of Riverdance. She now leads Jig and a Swig full-time, and is on a mission to share Irish dancing with as many adults as possible in London and beyond. Jessie talks more about her background, what led her to start Jig and a Swig, and how she persevered through the pandemic to foster something that is reaching more and more adult dancers with a wide range of experience levels and abilities.

Learn more about Jig and a Swig here: https://jigandaswig.co.uk/

The Irish Dance Globe article featuring Jessie and Jig and a Swig: https://irishdanceglobe.com/interviews/jig-and-a-swig-irish-dancing-london-everyone-who-wants-to-be-can-be-an-irish-dancer/

Julia's three week course on the history of Irish dance via zoom! Classes start Thursday September 24 at 7pm CT. https://celticjunction.org/product/history-of-modern-competitive-irish-dance/

This course is being offered through the excellent education branch of the Celtic Junction Arts Center (check out their other offerings, especially if you are local to the Twin Cities in Minnesota), so you also get to support a top notch organization.

In this episode of Planxty, Julia and Kristo sit down with feis musician and TCRG Katie Grennan and learn about her journey into Irish dance and its music. Katie's passion for her music and dance shines through this conversation and we explore what inspired her to perform as a touring musician and feis musician.

Interested in learning more about the history and development of modern competitive Irish dancing? Join Julia as dons her "Dr. Topper" hat for a 3-part course through the Celtic Junction Arts Center. The class will be held over Zoom for 3 Thursdays starting in late September 2026. For more information, visit CelticJunction.org.