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Paddy had originally in- tended to go to England, but an aunt from New West- minster, British Columbia went "home" for a visit and persuaded him to come to Canada, and live in B.C. He arrived in Toronto, stepped outside Union Station, and asked himself "What am I doing here?" He thought Toronto was far enough, and that he could get back to Ireland faster if he should want to go, so he stayed in Toronto and found a job with the T.T.C. BY JOANNE McCRIE A red-haired Irish coleen, (with the improbable maiden name of McDonald) opened her dancing studio in Canada fifteen years ago and has a galaxy of Trophies to attest to the fact that her students have attained Championship status. Mae Butler's parents were dancers in Ireland and she was the all Ireland Cham- pion in 1936. She taught Irish dancing for fifteen years on the Emerald Isle until her husband, Paddy, decided to move to Canada. Mrs. Butler and her three children followed six months afterwards. They have been in Canada for seventeen years and Paddy proudly added "We're Canadian citizens." Five years ago, said Mrs. Butler, there was a small percentage of boys dancing. Now there are fifty percent. Twenty boys now compete for championship trophies and competition is strong. Championships can be won for solo dancing or for what is called "Teacher's Choreography". This is Championships are divided into classes under ten years of age, under twelve, under fourteen, under sixteen and those over sixteen. From June to September last year alone, there were 39 champions in one branch of Mrs. Butler's schools. Mrs. Butler said that she could develop an "excellent" dancer in four years, but that only ten percent out of fifty pupils would achieve championship status. She began to train her daughter June and her son Pat, in the art of Irish dancing when they were five years old and they won championships wherever they competed in "Feis" (pronounced "Fesh"). Both have Championship belts with the provinces of Ulster, Munster, Leinster, and Cannaught, the four Irish divisions, emblazoned on the front. Trophies they have in abundance. They are un- defeated champions! Mrs. Butlef's teacher in Ireland recommended her to two little Canadian boys to teach them Irish dancing the first year she was here, and she taught in her home. The first 19 months she had eleven children and taught in a Hall. Now the Butler Irish Dancing Studio has 300 students, with branches in Scarborough, the east and centre of Toronto Down.. sview, Weston, Islington, Malton, Hamilton and Buffalo. Page IO--' Che Weston Times, Thursday, August 27, 1970 Local dance group. to perform at CNE At the "Nation Builders", September 7 at the C.N.E. this year, which is presented by the Folk Art Council with all the Ethnic groups in their various national dance, song and music participating, the Butler Dance Studio will present "The Changing Scenes of Ireland". The Butler Dancers have performed for the last seven years except last year, at the ONE. Those from Etobicoke performing in this intricate dance are James Bell, Gayle Golden, Bill Finnegan, Patt Harmon, Noel Golden, Mervyn Bree and Charlon Bell. One year they performed at the Grand Stand Show with Jack Carter and Carmel Quinn as the headliners. They have performed at Carnegie Hall six years running. They have en- tertained such celebrities as the Late President Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and Princess Alexandra. "He seems to have the imagination to set up pat- terns that are pleasing to the eye. He draws them on a piece of paper, first," Mrs. Butler said. In 1960, they teamed with the Irish Choral Society under the direction of Father P. Fleming and went on a tour of Ireland for four weeks. They were feted by the Canadian Embassy, Guiness's, and had tea on the terrace of Mallow Castle served by Col, Jephson, its owner, since deceased. They met the Irish President, Eamonn de Valera, who presented a scroll to Father Fleming. Mrs. Butler said she stayed with a friend in Northern Ireland at the fishing village of Annalong, He said he thought the Catholics were getting a bad deal, because no Catholic could buy a house or own property, and if they didn't own property they couldn't vote. "But in our school, we have Protestants, Catholics and Jewish dancers" Mrs. Butler said. where Mr. Butler shines. He learned Irish dancing as a boy and danced up to the age of twelve. Now, he is the choreographer in the family. and saw no incidence of fighting. The Butlers are from County Dalkey in southern Ireland and Butler Castle is a famous tourist 't1hteyi,ti1t,, especially for those of utler descent. "They're still fighting the feud that happened back in the 17 hundreds when King James and King Billy fought the Battle of the Boine", said Mr. Butler. The Butlers voiced the opinion that the rioting we hear about today is just among a small segment of the Irish population. The Butler dancers have entertained for the Masons in Canada; on the cargo ships which come into Toronto from Ireland; charities such as Crippled Children's Hospital; Sick Children's Hospital; a hospital for the incurably ill, Mrs. Mae Butler Mrs. Butler says that she feels that the enthusiasm shown by her young dancers, and those of other young people who take part in the Ethnic dances is a good discipline for children, and that their energies are given to "good clean fun" instead of putting their minds to "mischief". "They work hard" said One evening, Mr. and Mrs. Butler were on their way to the movie "Anne of The Thousand Days" and outside the theatre, Mrs. Butler heard "Oh the Days of the Kerry dancers" and she hurried her husband into the theatre. There, on the screen were her daughter and son, dancing to the tune. It was a "short" on Ontario Day at Expo. "The days of the Irish Washerwoman are long gone" Mrs. Bulter said, "I think you’d be deported from Ireland if you ever did that dance." Mrs. Butler was judging in Vancouver a month ago, among 300 entries from Vancouver, San Francisco, Edmonton and Los Angeles. St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1969 they drove in two buses to Ottawa during a blinding blizzard. The parents of the children went too, and they all had a good time, according to Mrs. Butler. The difference between Scottish dancing and Irish dancing, Mrs. Butler said, is that the Irish is more “team dancing". The shoes are hard, something like "tap" shoes, rather than the soft shoes worn by the "Highland Flingers!" There are 1,001 tunes in O'Neill's book, and there are hundreds of dif- ferent Irish dances with set pieces set to music. In the "Changing Scenes of' Ireland", for example, there are eight boys and sixteen girls dancing, as a team. The very top Cham- pionship is the World Championship, and there are dancers from Australia, New Zealand, United States England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland competing. The Butler's are thinking of entering next year. They have attended Feises in Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Boston, Chicago, Youngstown, Syracuse, New York City, Cleveland, and Connecticut. Mrs. Butler believes in taking an interest in the "little ones". "They're our champions of tomorrow" she said, and she went to get ready for a concert at 8 p.m. at City Hall for her seven and eight year ok s, that evening, "They work hard" said Mrs. Butler." Five hours twice a week during the summer months is necessary to get ready for the Feises and concerts." At Expo they were again teamed with the Father Fleming's Choral Society, and were billeted in the homes of the French Canadian citizens. They were so well received that they have been invited back, but haven't had time to accept. 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