Christopher McGrory was born into a very musical family originally hailing from County Donegal and began Irish dance lessons at the age of four at the prestigious Cora Cadwell School of Irish Dance in Dublin, Ireland. By the age of seven, he began to learn “the box” from his accordionist father at home. Christopher demonstrated natural talent in both disciplines, and quickly moved up the competitive ranks in both dance and music. At the age twelve he won the coveted All Ireland dance title at the Mansion House in Dublin. A few years later he also won the All-Ireland championships on accordion. He also toured the US twice during his early teens, both playing accordion and dancing. Little did he realize that he would end up making the US his home in later life.

As a young adult, Christopher obtained an honors level music teaching diploma (T.T.C.T.) and taught young musical groups and ceili bands for the Clontarf branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eirinn, the most prominent traditional music organization in Ireland. During that time, Christopher also received his T.C.R.G. degree in Irish dancing from An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha, the international Irish Dance Commission. He taught both music and dance for many years in Ireland, serving Dublin and surrounding counties, with a combined enrollment of over three hundred students.

A highlight of Christopher’s career came in 2003, when he was asked to perform at the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Dublin; it was the largest sporting event in the world that year. Christopher was privileged to perform at the “ World Village “ during the lunch time banquets, rubbing shoulders with U2, Sting, Elton John, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Farrell at the entertainers marquee.

In late 2004, Christopher made a life changing decision and moved to Tucson, Arizona. In February of 2005, he opened the “Tir Conaill Academy of Irish Dance,” naming the school after the celtic name for Donegal, his ancestral home. In its first two years, the Tucson dance school blossomed into an academy of happy and flourishing students. And now with the welcome addition of superstar Michael Patrick Gallagher and the talented students of the Phoenix class, Tir Conaill Academy of Irish Dance has become one of the largest and most successful Irish dance schools in Arizona.
   
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