From the early 20th century, a number of organisations promoted and codified the various forms of dance, creating competitive structures and standardised styles.

[5] The scant evidence available is primarily that of visitors to Ireland, such as a fourteenth-century song written in the South of England, where the poet invites his listeners to "come ant daunce wyt me in Irlaunde".

[6] The first native Irish documentary evidence of dancing is an account of a Mayor of Waterford's visit to Baltimore, County Cork in 1413, where the attendees "took to the floor" to celebrate Christmas Eve.

[8] This dance, performed to a jig tune though not to any particular piece of music, became the customary conclusion to balls held in Ireland towards the end of the seventeenth century.

[12] At this time, dancing was commonly accompanied by musicians playing bagpipes or the Jew's harp.

[12] despite the fact that In 1674 Richard Head wrote in reference to Ireland ‘In every field a fiddle, and the girls footing until they foam up’.

Reference to the Irish fiddle can also be found in John Dunton's Teague Land: or A Merry Ramble to the Wild Irish (1698) he says “on Sundays and Holydays, all the people resorted with the piper and fiddler to the village green, suggesting the fiddle was introduced to Ireland much earlier then 1760.

As a result, these early styles are characterised by the arms held rigidly at the sides, and a lack of lateral movement.

Characterised by a rigid torso and dances performed high on the balls of the feet, this style became distinct from the late 19th century when the Gaelic League began efforts to preserve and promote Irish dance as part of a broader nationalist movement concerned with Irish culture.

In 1929, the League formed An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG, The Irish Dancing Commission) in order to codify and standardise stepdancing competition and education.

Over the following decades, CLRG expanded globally, and promoted this particular form of stepdance by developing examinations and qualifications for teachers and competition adjudicators.

There are multiple traditional sets, including St. Patrick's Day, Blackbird, Job of Journeywork, Three Sea Captains, Garden of Daisies, and King of the Fairies.

It is a highly sought after and competitive feat to recall to dance this "third round" — at regional, national, and world competitions, only a small percentage (typically the top half of dancers graded after the first two rounds) of dancers are invited back to perform.

Later the taps and heels were made of resin or fiberglass to reduce the weight and to make the sounds louder.

Today most women and girls wear a wig, a bun or hairpiece for a competition, but some still curl their own hair.

Costumes are heavily integrated into the Irish dance culture and feature traditional elements of classic peasant wear adorned with Celtic designs.

The vest or jacket of the men's costume is also commonly adorned with crystals, traditional knotwork, and embroidery.

The word feis means "festival" in Irish, and strictly speaking would also have competitions in music and crafts.

An Coimisiún dancers take part in their annual regional Championship competition, which is known as an oireachtas (IPA: [ˈɛɾʲaxt̪ˠəsˠ]).

An Coimisiún's World Championships are the largest of all Irish step dance organisations, with over 6,000 dancers competing from over 30 countries worldwide.

Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne, or "The World Championships" (for An Coimisiún dancers), first took place in Dublin in 1970 at Coláiste Mhuire, a school in Parnell Square.

[19] Oireachtas Rince Na Cruinne planned return to Dublin in 2020 for the 50 year anniversary of the championships was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

An Coimsiún also holds Oireachtas Rince na hÉireann, or "The All Irelands" which took place in Killarney in February 2019.

An Comhdhail's World championships also take place each Easter week, with the competition being held in Dublin in 2018 and Killarney in 2019.

WIDA (World Irish Dance Association), which mainly consists of dancers from European countries, also hold their own World and International Championships over the Easter week, with the competition being held in Maastricht in 2018, Eindhoven in 2019, digitally in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in Moers in 2022.

The Irish dance masters of this period also choreographed particular steps to particular tunes in traditional music creating the solo traditional set dances such as the Blackbird, St. Patrick's Day, and the Job of Journey Work, which also persist in modern Irish stepdancing.

[21] Like other forms which share the heritage of modern stepdance but have departed from its codification, festival dance emphasises individuality and practises more relaxed style and posture.

[24] It is distinguished by footwork which is percussive but low to the ground in comparison to step dancing, and by its more freeform nature.

Typically, sean-nós dances are performed in small spaces, traditionally doors laid flat and table tops.

[citation needed] The organisation Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann promotes and hosts many set and ceili dance events.