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The Public Dance Halls Act, 1935: a re-examination

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 December 2018

John Porter
John Porter*
Affiliation:
Trinity College Dublin
*
*Department of History, Trinity College Dublin, [email protected]
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Abstract

Historical scholarship has interpreted the Public Dance Halls Act, 1935 in a relatively uniform manner. Most works on the subject have emphasised the expanding influence of Catholic church authorities over dancing following the enactment of the legislation, as well as the increasing restrictions placed on the freedom of dancers. The act has been viewed as one element in a sequence of pieces of legislation passed by successive Free State governments that aimed to limit and control citizens, including the Censorship of Films Act, 1923, and the Censorship of Publications Act, 1929. Using previously unexamined Department of Justice records, this article questions the dominant interpretation of the Public Dance Halls Act. It analyses whether dances moved predominantly into parochial halls, as has been the common understanding, and also considers whether the supposedly harsh restrictions imposed on dancers were actually enforced or observed. The article also proposes that two largely unexamined facets of the legislation and its subsequent implementation be given more consideration. Safety concerns played a sizeable part in shaping dancing regulations, as did the interests and worries of local communities. The article concludes by suggesting that lacunae in the historiography of dance halls in the 1930s are emblematic of wider gaps in Irish social and cultural history and recommends avenues for future research.

Type
Research Article
Information
Irish Historical Studies , Volume 42 , Issue 162 , November 2018 , pp. 317 - 335
Copyright
© Irish Historical Studies Publications Ltd 2018 

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69 Superintendent Bergin, Naas district, Gardaí circular reply, 16 Dec. 1938 (ibid.).

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75 Ibid.

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77 Summary conclusion to Gardaí circular replies, 20 Dec. 1938 (N.A.I., JUS/3/90/98/37, p. 4).

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79 Superintendent Ó Meadhra, Kerry district, Gardaí circular reply, 15 Dec. 1938 (ibid.).

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91 Superintendent Murray, Gorey district, Gardaí circular reply, 13 Dec. 1938 (N.A.I., JUS/3/90/98/37).

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94 Complaints regarding dance halls, Waterford city, 24 June 1936 (N.A.I., JUS/3/90/98/1).

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96 Ibid.

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98 Ibid.

99 Ibid.

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101 Superintendent Heron, Newport district, Gardaí circular reply, 13 Dec. 1938 (ibid.).

102 Superintendent Murphy, Mohill district, Gardaí circular reply, 14 Dec. 1938 (ibid.).

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114 Superintendent O’Reilly, Bray district, Gardaí circular reply, 14 Dec. 1938 (ibid.).

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