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The Bay Agenda: Keepers of the Steps

KALW | By Ben Trefny
Published March 23, 2026 at 9:23 AM PDT

An evening exploring Irish step dancing as living history, cultural memory, and contemporary performance.

This conversation highlights Keepers of the Steps, the living archive and cultural program at the United Irish Cultural Center dedicated to preserving generations of Bay Area Irish dancers, teachers, and families. Through stories, images, and lived experience, panelists reflect on how dance carries lineage, identity, and community forward.

United Irish Cultural Center
KALW Executive Producer Ben Trefny speaks with Keepers of the Steps Founding Co-Directors Eileen Mize and Anne Cassidy-Carew along with dancer and choreographer Megan Lowe and Red Barn Productions Manager Drew Patterson at the live event "The Bay Agenda: Keepers of the Steps" on St. Patrick's Day in 2026.

Bringing together perspectives from cultural stewardship, theatrical living history, and multidisciplinary dance-making, the program explores how Irish and Celtic performance traditions continue to evolve on modern stages. They consider preservation and innovation, place-making and performance, and what it means to keep tradition embodied, adaptive, and alive.

The United Irish Cultural Center brought many historical pieces to display at "The Bay Agenda: Keepers of the Steps."
United Irish Cultural Center
The United Irish Cultural Center brought many historical pieces to display at "The Bay Agenda: Keepers of the Steps."
San Francisco Irish Pipers member Maggie Baglin opens the live event "The Bay Agenda: Keepers of the Steps" by playing the bagpipes in KALW's Studio Events Space.
United Irish Cultural Center
San Francisco Irish Pipers member Maggie Baglin opens the live event "The Bay Agenda: Keepers of the Steps" by playing the bagpipes in KALW's Studio Events Space.
United Irish Cultural Center
Contemporary Irish dancer Maeve Smith poses with a nearly life-sized cutout of the Irish dancing Deely Sisters, one of whom is her grandmother.
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Ben Trefny
I joined KALW in 2003. As Executive News Editor and then News Director, I helped our news department win numerous regional and national awards for long- and short-form journalism. I've also helped create numerous training programs — for teenagers, incarcerated people, and early-career journalists — and have taught hundreds of audio producers. I served as interim Executive Director for nearly two years. My work is currently focused on creating original live events, programming, and building partnerships with like-minded organizations.
See stories by Ben Trefny