About

More Than A Magazine

We are proud to be the voice of the Irish Dancing industry – We INSPIRE. We EDUCATE. We MOTIVATE. WE ARE IDM.

How It All Began

In September 1997, UK dance mums Mary Wilson and Gail Franx brainstormed the idea of launching a magazine dedicated to Irish Dancing. With guidance from renowned Irish Dance historian Dr. John Cullinane and other top executives, they brought this vision to life. The timing was perfect, with the explosive success of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance inspiring many boys and girls to take up Irish Dance. There was a growing need to connect the worldwide dance community with a trusted publication.

The Team back in 1998 including Mary Wilson and Gail Franx - the original founders

The People Behind IDM Today

In 2004, Denise Keane joined as a minor partner, helping to expand the magazine's reach in North America. Despite being based in Chicago, Denise’s love for Irish arts, including Irish Dance and traditional Irish music, was nurtured from a young age by her parents, who hail from counties Kerry and Clare.

In 2010, the original owners sold their remaining shares of Irish Dancing Magazine to Denise. Other key executives on the team, both then and now, include Teri Horan, Cameron Carey, and Mary O’Connor, all of whom have been instrumental in keeping this beautiful magazine alive through the ups and downs of the economy, pandemic, and the digital age.

Teri, Mo, Mary, and Denise - the core team at the IDM's Chicago office

More Than a Magazine

In 2008, IDM embraced social media, launching a Facebook page and soon after, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and TikTok. Managing these platforms alongside the print magazine became a balancing act, leading us to bring on talented young dancers to assist in creating content for the magazine’s social channels.

In honor of our 20th anniversary in 2018, we launched an 8-day, 7-night tour of Ireland for dancers and their families, and we continue to run one tour each year to Ireland. This project ties together our love of Ireland and the opportunity to travel with fans of the magazine to share our many years of knowledge about the land we love so well.

We are proud to be the voice of the Irish Dancing industry – We INSPIRE. We EDUCATE. We MOTIVATE. WE ARE IDM.

700 x 566

Step through time with Irish Dance Magazine as we trace our covers and celebrate every leap.