‘The Devil's in the Dance Hall’ returns to Leitrim for 2026 as dates are announced
The Devil in the Dance Hall dance has been announced for the Mayflower Hall in Drumshanbo for 2026
The Mayflower Ballroom in Drumshanbo will host ‘The Devil's in the Dance Hall’ dance in April.
The dance is inspired by the burning of Gralton’s Hall in the 1930s. Jimmy Gralton (1886–1945) was a farmer from Effrinagh in south Leitrim who built a dance hall on his land in 1921 with some help from his neighbours.
The hall quickly became a centre for music, dancing, debate and learning, and offered young people in rural Leitrim a place to gather freely and socialise.
This was against the wishes of the Catholic Church, who led a campaign against the hall, and the Gralton dance hall was burned to the ground on Christmas Eve 1932.
Gralton became the only Irishman ever to be exiled from the state since it gained independence.
A campaign was launched earlier this month to rebuild Gralton’s hall.
Today, 97 years later, nearly to the day, it was announced that the Devil's in the Dance Hall dance will take place on the 4th of April from 8 pm until late, with tickets available online.