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Co Antrim folk dancers make history at international music festival

The Loughgiel Folk Dancers
The Loughgiel Folk Dancers The Loughgiel Folk Dancers

A group of folk dancers from Co Antrim have made history at an international music festival by becoming the first troupe ever to be awarded a perfect score.

A performance by the Loughgiel Folk Dancers at the annual Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales prompted a rapturous applause from the audience.

The troupe were awarded a score of 100 out of 100 and became the first group ever in the history of the event to be award a full score. They were then named the winners in the Open Floor Dane Competition.

Around 4,000 performers take part in the festival every year and as many as as 50,000 visitors descend on Llangollen and its International Pavilion to take part in and watch the event, which combines competition and performance with international peace and friendship.

A spokeswoman for the event said many of the Co Antrim dancers and their supporters were "visibly overwhelmed by the momentous achievement".

The Loughgiel Folk Dancers
The Loughgiel Folk Dancers The Loughgiel Folk Dancers