If you’re about to buy your child their first pair of Irish dancing treble shoes, congratulations! This is an is an exciting milestone! They’re about to step into an exciting world filled with rhythm, tradition, and fun … once they get used to the shoes!
1. Understanding Treble Shoes
Treble shoes, also known as hard shoes or heavy shoes and are designed for Irish dances like the hornpipe, treble jig, and treble reel. These dances require strong footwork, so the shoes are made to create percussive sounds when you dance. The shoes have a hard toe box and heels that make a clicking sound, essential for certain steps.
2. Where can I get Treble Shoes?
Leddy Uniforms in Blanchardstown have a beginners pair of shoes called the Flex55 Jig Shoes from Inishfree.
Dance World on Parnell Street have Essential Jig Shoes for Beginners from Antonio Pacelli. See here
Or there are other shops you can get them like Dance City in Limerick.
3. Can I buy them second hand?
Yes there are loads of Facebook pages dedicated to second hand sales for dance shoes and you may be lucky to get a good bargain on Done Deal or Adverts.ie
4. How much are Treble Shoes?
You can expect to pay about €100 for new beginners shoes.
If your child progresses to dancing more seriously and in competitions you will need to consider more expensive shoes like Fays
This becomes even more important when your child is over 11 and dancing in Mean Grad. At this point they need to do en pointe work (i.e. standing/moving right up on the top of the toe). The beginners shoes are not suitable for this.
4. What Size should I get
Getting the right size is the most important step. The shoes should fit snugly with no growing room. A well-fitted shoe will provide the support you need while dancing and prevent injury.
5. “Breaking In” new treble shoes
Your child is probably excited about starting their trebles … however once they try on the shoes this may be a different story!
Your child probably has never worn anything like these shoes on their feet before so are going to feel very strange at the start.
Most treble shoes are made of leather, which offers durability and flexibility but they can be stiff, so you’ll need to break them in before they feel comfortable.
Shoes can be worn around the house for short periods and your child can practice some basic dance moves. You can also gently bend the shoes with your hands to soften the leather.
Over time the leather will mould to the feet, providing a custom fit once they are broken in.