Robert Haley founded Scoil Rince Slieveloughane (SRS) in 1996. The school (which means Irish for Hillside Lake Dancing School in Irish) was named for Robert’s family’s homestead back in Connelly, County Clare, Ireland. The school’s name was officially changed to the Haley Prendergast School of Irish Dance (HPID) in 2019, to honor the family heritage of both Robert and his co-teacher Patricia Prendergast Martig.
Robert instilled a dedication and love of Irish Dance in the thousands of students he has worked with over the years. He also taught his young students the value of hard work, discipline and striving to reach their goals and dreams. We are very grateful for his vision, talent and the tremendous work he put into building a quality, successful Irish Dance program.
In April, 2023 we lost Robert after a long battle with heart disease & cancer. He is missed by all who knew him. His spirit, humor & love of Irish Dance live on in each of our hearts.
XO – The HPID Family
Here is a little background about Robert:
Robert Haley began dancing at the age of four in his home state of Connecticut. Years and years of training under the tutelage of Mae Duffy, ADCRG led to his placing in the New England Championships, The North American Championships, and qualifying to attend The World Championships in Ireland.
In 1994, he began to student-teach dancing for the Duffy Academy while attending the University of Connecticut. This enriching experience led to his discovery that his true desire was to teach Irish Dance.
After graduating from the University of Connecticut with a B.A. in Art History and a B.A. in Anthropology, he moved to Washington State. It was here that Robert decided to put his dream and talent to work by opening his own dance school. In 1996, he successfully completed the TCRG examination given by AN COIMISIUN LE RINCI GAELACHA, the governing body for Irish Dancing and Irish Dance Teaching Certification. He is one of just a handful of Irish Dance Teachers in Washington with a Teasgicoir Coimisiun Le Rinci Gaelacha Certification.
That same year, Robert founded Scoil Rince Slieveloughane (SRS) which is is Irish for Hillside Lake Dancing School. Hillside Lake or Slieveloughane is the name of Robert’s family homestead back in Connelly, County Clare, Ireland. The school’s name was officially changed to the Haley Prendergast School of Irish Dance (HPID) in 2019, to honor the family heritage of both Robert and his co-teacher Patricia Prendergast Martig.
In addition to sharing his love of Irish Dance with the thousands of students Robert taught over the years, he was a dedicated member of AN COIMISIUN LE RINCI GAELACHA, the Irish Dance Teacher’s Association of North America & the Western US Regional Council of Irish Dance Teachers. Robert served these organizations in many capacities. He in dedicated countless hours and contributed his expertise, perspective and efforts to make Irish Dance a strong and vibrant sport. Robert is respected and honored by his colleagues worldwide.
