“Welcome to the next generation of dance shoes’’
About Ryan & O’Donnell
Ryan & O’Donnell are a division of AE Struthers which is a family owned business that was founded in 1984. We have always been in shoes, successfully manufacturing and selling Highland Dance pumps, Gents shoes and Ghillie Brogues under our brand Thistle Shoes.
Several years ago we were presented with a challenge, to innovate Irish Dance shoes. What stood out above all else in our research was that Irish Dancing is a sport. The dancer’s body and feet were taking all the punishment. Our shoes had to in some way offer a superior level of support and a shock absorption system able to cope with the strenuous pounding, yet stay true to the traditional shoe.
As such, we have created a new patent pending production technique which allows us to offer a hard shoe that is much lighter and more durable. Our tips and heels are constructed using a honeycomb technique that offers both greater durability and lightness. All our shoes feature a class 1 medical shock dispersing insole. You combine this with fine Italian leathers and we have a shoe that is the lightest and loudest in the market place.
Ryan & O’Donnell are about creating excellence in footwear which is ‘designed for purpose’, offering supreme comfort, the correct support, unsurpassed sound definition, out the box flexibility and the ultimate shock dispersing system to help maintain healthy feet in such a rigorous sport as Irish Dancing.