Cayleigh O’Hare recently finished off, with a bang, an activity in which she’s been involved since she was 5 years old.
The Hinsdale Central senior, who turns 19 in June, began participating in Irish dancing classes as a 5-year-old at the Mulhern School of Irish Dance in Westmont. That led to considerable success in competitions over the years, culminating recently with World Medal Holder status via a first-place finish at the 2023 World Championships as a member of the Lavin-Cassidy School of Dance team.
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O’Hare’s initial start in Irish dance came about because her mother thought it would be a fun summer activity.
“I liked it right from the beginning,” O’Hare said.
It’s been quite a run for the Burr Ridge resident, who made time in 2015 as an Elm School fourth-grader to do an Irish dance demonstration for fellow students and school staff.
O’Hare said she has no plans to completely give up Irish dancing, but she is taking herself out of the competition aspect of it, as she will be heading in the fall to Washington University in St. Louis to study biomedical engineering. She will go on a Langsdorf merit scholarship, which pays for full tuition for four years. O’Hare was one of only eight students chosen to receive the prestigious scholarship from a field of 6,000 under consideration. O’Hare also plans to minor in Chinese, to continue her Mandarin fluency.
“I will still be dancing, but I no longer will compete in college at the level I’m at,” O’Hare said. “I love Irish dancing but the competitions are a big commitment. Leading up to the World Championships, it was close to 30 hours a week to prepare.”
While O’Hare looks forward to starting life as a college student, Irish dancing will remain a focus for part of the summer. She has been invited, as part of the professional dance troupe, the Trinity Irish Dance Company, to participate in a three-week tour of Japan.
“And next summer, we’ll be doing a tour of the U.S.,” O’Hare said.
As for her planned college studies, O’Hare said she always has been interested in biology and the human body. For the past three years, she has worked at a Chicago biomedical startup company, where she’s had the opportunity to do some independent research, along with participating in some of the company’s research.
Irish dancing will always remain a part of O’Hare, even when she isn’t participating.
“It’s become a huge part of who I am,” she said. “It takes a lot of dedication to be at the top. I love the competition aspect of it. It helped me to learn the meaning of hard work and the importance of going for something you want with everything you have.
“My confidence has gotten so much better because of Irish dance. I was really shy at first when I started. The success I’ve had has been wonderful, but it hasn’t been everything. I found a lot of satisfaction through the journey.”
That journey has required a huge commitment from O’Hare, but she seems to have no regrets.
“As I got older, I put more pressure on myself and have thought more about what I have to do to get better,” she said. “I appreciate the creative process now, though, and have enjoyed making up some of my own choreography.
“I’ve also loved the traveling. I’ve been able to see a lot of countries I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to see. And when there’s been time to see some of the sites in those countries, I’ve really enjoyed doing that with my mom.”
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.