Already a two-time world champion Irish stepdancer, Oak Lawn resident Tadgh Spillane, 15, took second place last month at a different international competition, the All-Irelands, in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The Oak Lawn High School freshman competed in the age 15 and under category at the Oireachtas Rince na hEireann, commonly referred to as the All-Irelands.

He competed against about 20 boys from all over the world, he said.

“I've competed in Ireland a number of times,” he said. “Both my parents are from Ireland.

Tadgh is the Gaelic name meaning Timothy; he was named for his father, Timothy Spillane, a building engineer from Castlegregory, County Kerry. Spillane's mother, Martina Spillane, is a respiratory therapist from Charlestown, County Mayo.

Tadgh Spillane previously had won the World Championships in 2014 and 2015, and finished second in March, when it was held in Glasgow, Scotland. The 2017 World Championship will be held in Dublin.

“I'm going to Dublin in April to see if I get my title back,” he said.

He also has won the All-Irelands twice before taking second a few weeks ago.

The difference between a champion and a second-place winner has a lot to do with details, such as keeping his arms to his side, as well as footwork, keeping his feet turned out when he dances, he said.

“You just need to have the look of a champion,” he said.

Ankle work is another skill. It refers to the way a dancer flicks his ankles.

“Every world champion has ankle work,” he said. “This is something my teachers have always practiced with me.”

Spillane studies stepdancing at the Lavin-Cassidy Irish Dance school in Worth.

He started taking dance eight years ago, and has competed internationally for the past five or six years, he said. He performs the hornpipe, the reel and a set dance, which is sort of like a freestyle, where he can choreograph his performance.

“It's kind of like your little showpiece because you are dancing by yourself at that point,” he said.

Spillane pronounces his first name, Tadgh, with one syllable, tie-g, “like tiger without the -er,” he said.

When he is not dancing, he plays basketball with his friends. He competed in cross country in middle school, but chose not to compete in high school because the season interfered with his All-Irelands championship, he said.

Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.