Director, Owner
Abbey Wood, TCRG
A born Texan, Abbey grew up in Augusta GA. She began dancing at age 6 and became one of the first four champion dancers in the region. In 1996 after qualifying at the Eastern Region Oireachtas in NY, she became the first girl from the South to qualify and compete at the World Championships in Dublin, Ireland. After reaching her goal of the ``Worlds``, Abbey turned her focus and attention to teaching, a dream she had always envisaged from a young age. While most of her dancing friends continued competing or performing in shows, Abbey opened the Glor nah'Eireann (Pride of Ireland) School of Irish Dance. She became the first certified instructor (Teagascóir Choimisiúin le Rinci Gaelacha - Commission Certified Irish Dance Teacher) from the Southern Region of the United States, an achievement she was honoured for at the 2022 Southern Regional Oireachtas, Orlando, Florida in 2022. Abbey has produced dancers who have gone on to perform with shows including Lord of the Dance, Magic of the Dance, Riverdance, Cherish the Ladies, The Chieftains, Lehey, Seven Nations, Eileen Ivers, and Celtic Crossroads. Abbey possesses an intense work ethic, professional teaching style mixed with an infectious love of Irish Culture that continually produces Champions and motivates all of her dancers to achieve their personal goals!
Brent Wood, TCRG
Brent began in Irish Dance in 1988 and helped found the Drake School in 1990. During his competitive dance years, he won three Eastern Regional Oireachtas Competitions, a National
Championship in 1998, and competed in five World Championships. Brent has performed with the Chieftains, Cherish The Ladies, the Wolf Tones, Eileen Iverson, and many other well know Irish musicians. He was also an original cast member of the show ``Common Ground.``
His continued love of Irish Dance led him to become a member of the Irish Dancing Teachers Association as a licensed TCRG and Director of the Drake School Carolinas.
Creative Director
John Lawrence Morgan, ADCRG
John Lawrence Morgan was raised in an Irish dance studio – he is from a “legacy” of teachers, Margie and John Morgan who have produced many World Champion dancers and teachers at the world-renowned Morgan School, Manchester, UK.
As a dancer JL won multiple major competitions including the British National, Great Britain and All Scotland Championships and placed in the top 3 at the World and All Ireland Championships. Following his retirement from competitive dancing, he went on to tour with Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames between 2009-2012, while also completing his bachelor’s degree in politics and modern history followed by his PGCE in secondary education.
Qualifying as a TCRG in 2014, John Lawrence quickly became part of his family “legacy”, teaching and choreographing for multiple Regional, National and World Champion dancers while also working as a secondary school history and politics teacher at some of the UK's leading independent and grammar schools.
In 2018 JL relocated to the DMV to teach at the McGrath Morgan Academy. The school quickly established itself as one of the leading Irish dance schools in North America, producing multiple Regional and National winning titles. Students under the guidance of JL and performing his choreography have achieved success at the World championships in both solo and team events. One of the highlights of JL's teaching career to date is becoming the first teacher in North American history to write, produce and direct three consecutive winning World Championship winning dance dramas; “The Banshee in the Bedroom (2019), “The Belle of Belfast City” (2022) and “Derry Girls - The Dance Drama” (2023).
Having collaborated on a number of occasions, John Lawrence is excited to be joining forces with Abbey, to create “Morgan Legacy” and looks forward to many years of sharing their collective passion and love for both contemporary and traditional Irish Dancing.
Paige Kelly, TCRG
Paige began dancing at the age of 5 with Walsh Kelley School of Irish Dance in Charlotte, NC. She enjoyed competing at all levels and quickly rose to be a championship dancer at a young age. Paige won the Southern Region Oireachtas in both solo and ceili competitions. After competing at the World Championships, her family moved to Wisconsin, where she danced for Trinity Academy, continuing to excel in competitions in the Mid-America region and at North American Nationals. Throughout her competitive career, she had the opportunity to train with many teachers, including Aine Walsh-Kelley, Breda O’Brien, Rose Kenny, and Mark Howard. Due to various foot surgeries, Paige stopped dancing in 2007. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and began working in Kansas City for Oracle Corporation, where she met her now-husband, Ryan, who is from Savannah. At their Savannah wedding, the Legacy Irish Dancers performed, inspiring her to pursue her TCRG certification. She reached out to a studio in Kansas City and began working on her grade exams, a prerequisite for taking the TCRG exam. She earned the Diploma of Irish Dancing Commission, completing Grades 1-12 from January 2021 to July 2022, and passed her TCRG exam in August 2023. Ryan and Paige moved back to Savannah at the end of 2024 and are looking forward to growing their family and becoming more involved in the Irish community.