EVANSTON, Ill. — An Illinois firefighter and EMT has an unusual claim to fame as a gold medal-winning Irish dancer.
Patch.com reported Colleen Martin-Hanley was among one of the first American teams to win the gold medal at the World Irish Dancing Championships.
Martin-Hanley competed at the World Irish Dancing Championships with two teams, once in 1987 and the other in 1990. Now, 25 years later, Martin-Hanley has exchanged her dancing shoes for firefighting boots.
“I think it’s the discipline that comes with Irish dancing and firefighting that could be considered similar,” said Martin-Hanley. “When it comes to training and having a good work ethic, there are a lot of similar attributes.”
After Martin-Hanley decided to retire from Irish dancing, she knew she wasn’t going to be a “behind the desk person.” Instead, she followed two of her older brothers’ footsteps and went into firefighting.
“The nerves you may have in firefighting get turned into adrenaline and put to good use,” she said. “It’s not exactly an instant gratification kind of feeling, but more of letting everything build up for a while until it’s time to get the job done.”
Her daughter, Bridie, has already started asking about Irish dancing. However, there is one thing that interests her even more.
“Right now, she’s obsessed with the fire engines,” Martin-Hanley said.