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Person

Anne Connaghan

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

TypePerson
WithinBeaver Island
ErasModern era
On this page
Person
Active
fl. 2024
Spouse
person/john-flanagan-arranmore-musician
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
heritagecommunityirish-arranmoremusic-folklore
Within
Beaver Island

Summary

Anne Connaghan is an Irish dance teacher and musician from Arranmore Island, County Donegal, who has performed and taught at Beaver Island’s annual Irish Féile from at least 2024 through 2026, alongside her husband, musician John Flanagan.

History

Connaghan is first documented in the archive in a September 2024 Northern Islander announcement naming her as a scheduled teacher of basic Irish group dancing at that year’s Emerald Isle Irish Féile workshop. She returned in 2025 as part of “Jerry Early, Anne Connaghan and Friends from Arranmore,” leading an Irish social dancing workshop the Northern Light described as open to “dancers of all levels, from beginners to seasoned enthusiasts,” teaching céilí and set-dance steps. A March 2026 Northern Islander profile of the performing group “Jerry Early & Arranmore Friends” names Connaghan alongside her husband, John Flanagan, and singer John Gallagher, describing the group as providing “a direct link to Arranmore Island” through storytelling, folk music, and workshops in dancing, mumming, and Gaelic football.

Evidence and limits

All sources are festival announcements and performer profiles from Beaver Island’s own press, describing Connaghan’s public role at the Féile. No source found here documents a family connection between Connaghan and the island’s long-settled Connaghan family (Hugh and Katie Connaghan and their descendants), whose own Arranmore ancestry is separately documented; the shared surname and shared Arranmore origin do not establish a relationship absent a source that states one.

Open questions

  • What primary source establishes Connaghan’s broader musical and teaching work beyond the Beaver Island Féile appearances?
  • Is there any documented family connection between Anne Connaghan and the island’s historic Connaghan family?

Kin

This articleAnne ConnaghanThis articleperson/john-flanagan-arranmore-musician
Only relations stated in the sources are drawn; absence means unrecorded, not childless or unmarried.

Sources

  1. Northern Islander, September 2024, Emerald Isle Irish Féile announcement.
    Identifies Connaghan as a teacher and musician scheduled to teach basic Irish group dancing at the September 5 workshop; it does not provide full biography or confirm delivery. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    charlevoix · northern_islander_2024.09
  2. Northern Light, March 2025, Féile lineup announcement.
    Lists "Jerry Early, Anne Connaghan and Friends from Arranmore" among the 2025 Féile's announced performers. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · charlevoix · northern_light_2025.03
  3. Northern Light, July 2025, "Irish Social Dancing with Anne Connaghan."
    Describes Connaghan, "straight from the Irish island of Arranmore," leading a Féile workshop on Irish céilí and set dancing for dancers of all levels. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · charlevoix · northern_light_2025.07
  4. Northern Light, September 2025, Féile schedule.
    Schedules Connaghan's Irish social dancing session for 2:00 p.m. at the 2025 Féile. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · charlevoix · northern_light_2025.09
  5. Northern Islander, March 2026, Féile performer profiles.
    Describes the group "Jerry Early & Arranmore Friends," naming Connaghan and her husband, John Flanagan, alongside singer John Gallagher, as performers "from Arranmore Island" providing "a direct link to Arranmore Island" and hosting cultural workshops including dancing. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · charlevoix · northern_islander_2026.03

Added 3 August 2026 · revised 4 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Anne Connaghan”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/people/anne-connaghan/, accessed [date], citing Northern Islander, September 2024, Emerald Isle Irish Féile announcement. (and 4 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-04. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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