[1] Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne is the top competition of the hierarchical system operated by An Coimisiún, and dancers must qualify at major Irish stepdance events across the world in order to compete.

[2] Of these, Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne, sometimes called the "Olympics of Irish dance", is the largest, attracting some 5,000 competitors and 25,000 spectators each year from over 30 countries.

[10] With the advent of affordable air travel and improved communication links from the 1960s onward, increased contact with dancing teachers across the Irish diaspora led An Coimisiún to gradually become a global organisation.

[14] This event, which would become known as "the split", eventually resulted in An Comhdháil establishing itself as an alternative governing body for Irish dance with its own system of registration, examinations and competition.

[17] One long-term impact of the split prior to the first Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne was the eventual establishment of competing World Championship events.

[22] The early years of Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne saw little success for competitors from outside Ireland, despite the presence of a large contingent of North American dancers.

This was due to a number of factors including the overseas competitors' style of dance, which was viewed as by the Irish as outdated, and differences in competition protocol between North America and Ireland.

[23] However, Michael Flatley, who became the first North American winner of the World Championships in 1975, recalled that his attempt to win at Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne focused on adopting a more rigid and conservative dance style that would be accepted by Irish adjudicators.

[26] American teams experienced many of the same difficulties as solo dancers in succeeding during the early years of Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne, although in some cases, the differences were more explicitly political.

Although the official reason for the decision was the inclusion of non-Irish music in the choreography, the team's teacher alleged to American media that the adjudicators had resented the dance's commentary on the Catholic Church.

[27] Conor Hayes became the first Australian to win a World Championship as late as 1996,[28] and the inferiority of overseas competitors in the perception of adjudicators and Irish participants persisted into the early 21st century.

The subsequent massive influx of dancers necessitated the use of four separate venues in Cork over the course of 8 days, at the time the largest Irish dance event ever conducted.

At the time, some competitors expressed fears for their safety in the new location, but Belfast authorities were keen to ensure the event's success to improve the city's reputation as a tourist destination.

[40] The 2001 Championships, planned to be held in Ennis, were cancelled due to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Great Britain, from where nearly 35% of that year's competitors were expected to travel.

The first Worlds to be cancelled caused substantially increased demand for the North American National Championships, traditionally held at the end of July, and forced organisers of that event to add stage capacity to cope with the influx of dancers.

[45] At a meeting of An Coimisiún on 20–21 January 2018, a new "double recall" system was approved for Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne 2019 and beyond, following a consultation and development process begun in 2016.

Announcing the system, chairperson of An Coimisiún James McCutcheon also noted the morale benefits of having an intermediate goal for dancers between qualification and final round recall.

[56] Locations for Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne are selected following a bidding process, which allows regional representatives to submit their preferred venue for consideration.

[57] The final decision is made by a vote of the Oireachtas Committee,[58] taking into account the suitability of venue and the area's capacity to support the event with appropriate accommodation.

[6] The approximate cost of staging Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne has been estimated at £400,000, which is covered by grants from local authorities and entrance fees from dancers.

[6] One such outcome is the exposure of an entire city or region to thousands of potential tourists; as a result, Boston tourism authorities compared the total impact of the Worlds on the local economy to that of the Super Bowl.

[73] The qualification system places a disproportionate restriction on the number of female dancers at the Worlds, and consequently produces a female–male ratio of competitors much lower than at other Irish stepdance events.

In addition, participants in Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne frequently accuse adjudicators (though not directly) of politicising their decisions or favouring dancers of one region over another.

[92] The globe trophies were originally donated in 2007 by Michael Flatley and the first place versions include the names of all previous section winners inscribed around the base.

[93] Winners of male sections are frequently presented with a belt as a trophy, a practice which originated at a dance competition held in 1895 by the Gaelic Athletic Association.

The choreography is required to portray a "specifically Irish historical or traditional story, event or theme" and may be between 4 and 6 minutes in length, as well as a five-minute period before and after the performance for preparing and clearing the stage.

[107] The style of choreography has been described as a combination of Irish dance with physical theatre, due to its heavy reliance on mime and facial expression, and is of particular attraction to professional choreographers.

[81] Local dignitaries, including ambassadors of Ireland and other countries represented at the Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne, are frequently involved with the event.

[115] A 1995 documentary, by producer Michele Fox for London Weekend Television, examined Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne, held that year in Dublin.

[119] An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha has officially expressed disappointment that the Worlds do not receive proportionate media coverage when held in Ireland, given that the event is not typically attended by any television stations like the Irish national broadcaster RTÉ.