Irish step dancing has been around since the late 18th century, and is continuously changing and evolving as time goes on. The recent success of big stage shows such as Riverdance and Lord of the Dance has catapulted Irish dance into the limelight and brought previously unequalled popularity and interest. Irish dancing has been described as "ice of the body and fire of the feet," because of the intricate footwork and energetic leaps coupled with a rigid upper body. Dancers perform both solo and as part of a team.

Early dance consisted of three forms: the hay or hey, the rinnce fada, and the rinnce mor. The first, hey/hay comes from the French 'haie'- stakes in a row or fence. It was used when referring to a line of dancers, similar to those seen in modern theatrical productions. The next, the rinnce fada has been paralleled to, "...answering to the festal dancing of the Greeks [which] seems to have been of the nature of the armed dance with which the Grecian youth amused themselves during the Siege of Troy" (The Wild Irish Girl, 1806). The third and final, rinnce mor is described by John Playford, dance historian, as a "long dance for as many as will" (1651). It is thought to have been a wild processional type of dance.

Irish dancing was accompanied by music played on the bagpipes and the harp. In the houses of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy, the master often joined with servants in some of the dances. Dancing was also performed during wakes. The mourners followed each other in a ring around the coffin to bagpipe music.