Patricia Mulholland
Patricia Mulholland, was an Irish violinist, choreographer, teacher and dancer.Biography
Patricia Mulholland was born in Belfast in 1915 on Mileriver Street though her family later moved to Newington Street. Mulholland was a capable violinist and interested in Irish traditional music. One of her dance teachers was Peadar O'Rafferty. Her sister was Belfast dance teacher Stella Mulholland. She went on to found the Irish Ballet School in Belfast and the Irish Ballet Company. The Irish Ballet Company made its debut during the Festival of Britain in 1951 at the Empire Theatre in Belfast. Mulholland created the first Irish folk ballet in 1953. She used a number of Irish mythological stories as the basis for ballets she created. She published a book of Ulster Dances in 1971. Mullholland is considered one of the most influential figures of twentieth-century traditional Irish dancing. She is commemorated with a Blue Plaque at Brookvale Drive in North Belfast. The most famous of her students is the actor Ciaran Hinds.Choreography
