helen gannon

St. Louis Irish Arts www.slia.org

Helen Gannon

Born and raised in Limerick City, Ireland, Helen began taking Irish dancing lessons as a child. After earning her license as a registered nurse, Helen married PJ Gannon, a physician from Galway.

In 1967, the Gannon family emigrated from Ireland to St. Louis. Realizing the need for support of the traditional arts of Ireland, Helen studied to become the first commissioned Irish dance instructor in the state of Missouri. Helen also made sure that her own four children attended regular music lessons with local musicians that could help pass the traditions on to the next generation. After the annual Concert Tour of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann visited St. Louis in 1971, Helen took the inniative to start a Comhaltas branch in St. Louis.

Today, Helen is the president of St. Louis Irish Arts. Since 2003, she has served as the Provincial Chairperson of Comhaltas North America. Two of her childen, Niall and Eileen Gannon, are teachers at St. Louis Irish Arts and four of her grandchildren are students. In November 2006, the Gannon family performed for the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.

“Eili Gheal Chiuin/Mikey Callaghan’s”

St. Louis Irish Arts IV

featuring three generations of the Gannon family

Three Generations of the Gannon Family in 2006

Helen dancing with Fiona & Riley Gannon at the Library of Congress 2006