Yeah, you've signed your daughter up for Irish Dance lessons!
You've paid the tuition, the uniform/t-shirt fee, any miscellaneous fees, and then get told not to forget that your daughter will need a pair of ghillies within 6 weeks (or so) for practice (and performances).
Now if you never danced Irish (or Scottish), you may be stumped as to what ghillies are.
Ghillies are soft leather shoes that form to a dancer's foot, and that are used for basic Irish dancing by girls and women (boys and men use reel shoes).
They utilize long laces which criss-cross over the top of the foot (just like you would tie your favorite sneakers).
They then cross behind the heel and back, wrapping under the arch of the foot, and tying on top of the foot.
They can have full leather soles, be split-soled, with a leather, or suede, sole under the heel and under the ball of the foot, or they can be full suede. Ghillies are required to be black for most Irish competitions, and most teachers prefer them for most dancers. Once dancers are at a higher level, they may get ghillies that have been dyed to match their elaborate dance costume.
Confused? Don't worry it get's worse.
The wonders of soft Irish ghillies is that NO TWO are sized the same. That's what happens when you get supple leather! Additionally, like tennis shoes, every brand has their own unique fit and lacing. Some teachers have preferences and would prefer only those brands are bought. Add in European sizing, and it's enough to make a beginner's mom's head spin.
Breathe, we are here to help!
There are primarily four ways to purchase ghillies- brand new off the internet, brand new through a dance shop, used off the internet (ebay and dance forums), or used from fellow dancers. For beginners, most teachers prefer you get a new pair, so they can fit your child better and have more wear to them.
So we're going to discuss that method in this post, and have a second post about buying used ghillies.
First. let's start with the basics.
Some dance companies practice in poodle socks, other's have no preference. Which ever the case, it is best to have a practice sock that is the same weight/thickness of your poodle socks, so that the ghillies will not suddenly seem too big on your dancer, when it is time for performance, when they are in the poodle socks. This also helps to stretch the ghillies out. So you need to get the practice/poodle socks on your child, and then have them stand on a large piece of paper. trace around their foot, being sure to keep your pencil as CLOSE as possible, to the foot. Trace BOTH feet. Your child might have one foot's toes longer than the other! Now you have a sizing model to work with.
Secondly, look at the foot you traced.
Does your child have wide feet? Do their feet look like upside down triangles? Or are they consistant, more in line like a rectangle. This is something to really consider, as different brands fit differently- some are wider and accomendate wide feet better, others are longer and better for thin feet.
As you can see, the Rutherford's are wider than the Antonio Pacelli Hullachan's.
Thirdly, now you will go to the manufacturer's website and find their measurement sheet.
Again, different companies will have different measurements! Look at how HUGE the middle shoes are, yet they are in between sizing of the other two!
You will need to take your tracing and measure the LENGTH in centimeters (European sizing!) to get the best fit. If you seem in between sizes, consider if your child is in the middle of a growth spurt. If they are, you might be able to get away with the larger size. if not, so with the smaller. Ghillies are soft leather, remember? They are meant to STRETCH 1-2 sizes! They can be moistened and but back on your dancer's foot and they will dry/mold to your dancer's foot size!.
Fourth- now the issue of the sole. SIGH, nope not done yet!
You will notice the sole can affect the pricing. Generally sueded and split soles are more expensive. Most teachers prefer that beginner dancers start with regular leather soles, so help with balance, prevent extra slipping, and for comfort.
Lastly, the comfort issue.
Most leather soled ghillies will have some sort of interior padding on the bottom, to help your dancer when they come down from their up steps. If you watch Irish dancing for even 5 minutes, you will realize how padding can make a world of difference to your dancer's feet! Some companies have different levels of padding, so that is something to consider as well.
Whew. now that you've sorted ALL those choices out, you're ready to order!
Word of advice- order and EXTRA set of laces NOW with your ghillies. 2 reasons:
1. You never know when you will need them, and ghillie laces are LONG- generally you can't find them just anywhere, they are a mail order item for most of us.
2. You're already paying for shipping for the shoes, so the added laces, won't add much to the shipping cost!
Your ghillies have arrived!
Yeah, inhale that leather smell, because trust me, they are never gonna smell that good again! Irish dancing is a lot of work, and your dancer's feet wlll sweat. Yup, enough said on that! Your ghillies are usually NOT laced. You will need to lace them like you would a sneaker, leaving the tails loose and NOT going through the side and back loops, until the ghillies are on your dancer's foot.
You will no doubt go to put them on your dancer and stop and go 'huh?'. You see ghillies have no left or right to them! Seriously. They are formed the SAME. As your dancer wears them, they will form left and right. In the beginning you may need to make a L and R on the inside, but after about 3 lessons, you will be able to see the subtle inward bend on the insides, and know which is which.
Different companies also may have different suggestions for lacing your ghillies. Sometimes this is based on where their side heel loops are, so there is a valid reason. Or it could be to offer the best support, based on their arch design. And you dance instructor may have a preference as well. For younger dancer's especially, most teachers prefer to have the laces wrapped around the arch once or twice, to help the arch develop.
Follow any video that is supplies, or check out this basic how to video from
Yeah! Now the ghillies are on and laced.
Stand back and give yourself a hand, and then a kleenex, because you're probably gonna shed a tear or two. Then grab the camera and take a picture of your dancer in their first ghillies. you will both be proud! You for having gotten them laced, and your daughter for looking like a 'real' Irish dancer!
Now make your dancer keep them on for at least 20 minutes, so she can get used to them, and they can start forming to her foot. This will also help you to figure out any lacing that needs to be redone.
And now two words of advice about Ghillies:
1. Concrete is BAD for the leather bottoms, so try to keep your dancer from walking on anything but carper or wood while wearing in their new shoes (and at other times too!). A handy tip that we pass on is to get a pair of Crocs (or other brand) that are a SIZE larger than your child would normally wear. This way they can slide into them, while wearing their ghillies, and be able to walk anywhere, and not have to worry about damaging their ghillies, and yet be able to drop them and get on stage in a hurry!
2. You need to have a good leather conditioner/cleaner on hand to keep these ghillies lasting as long as possible! We've seen one pair last through FOUR girls already. They are for the most part, really quality made, and if you take care of them, they will LAST. The Leather Nova Conditioner & Cleaner is one that we've found that REALLY pulls the grime and scuffs out, and makes the ghillies look almost new. It also brings back suppleness and keeps them in great shape:
You can read a full review on the product over on our sister blog, Bless Their Hearts Mom!
So there are our thoughts and tips!
Feel free to ask any questions, we'll try to answer them if we can!
