ABOUT US

ABBEY WOOD, TCRG. DIRECTOR, OWNER.

A born Texan, 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!

JOHN LAWRENCE MORGAN, ADCRG. CREATIVE DIRECTOR

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.

olivia griffin BUSHman, tcrg.

Olivia Griffin Bushman began dancing ballet at the age of two, eventually finding her true passion in Irish Dance at the age of seven. Originally from San Francisco, California, Olivia danced for the Butler Fearon O’Connor School of Irish Dance, one of the most successful schools in the history of Irish Dancing in North America. Under the instruction of Vinny O’Connor, Rose Fearon, and Kate O’Connor, Olivia excelled on the competitive scene winning several regional, national, and international championships and was crowned World Champion of Irish Dance in 2012. Olivia’s greatest competitive achievement was winning the All-Irelands Championships, Worlds Irish Dancing Championships, North American Nationals, and Western Regional Oireachtas all in one year. After competition, Olivia toured with Riverdance’s new show Heartbeat of Home and Lord of the Dance, performing the role of lead "Saoirse" in Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games. Afterwards, Olivia moved to the DMV to attend Georgetown Law School. She now works as an attorney at a prestigious law firm in Washington, DC. Olivia lives in Old Town, Alexandria with her husband and three children.

brent wood, tcrg.

Brent co- owner of Legacy Sav/Charleston. He began teaching Irish Dance in 1988 and helped found the Drake School in 1990.  As a competitive dancer Brent had a decorated career. Highlights include winning three Eastern Regional Oireachtas Championships , a National Championship in 199​8. Brent also 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.  Brent combined  his talents and love of Irish Dance with wife  Abbey Pride, to create Legacy ten years ago. Brent is excited to be joining both Abbey, John, and Olivia as they join forces to create Morgan Legacy! Brent has an unbelievable focus on his students, giving them the tools and support they need to grow as dancers and individuals.

laura murphy, performance coordinator.

Laura Murphy is a Notre Dame Law graduate who fell in love with Irish Dance when her daughter, Molly, stepped into a studio in Northern Virginia. It wasn't long until Laura joined her four year old daughter. With the support and encouragement from their teacher, Laura continued dancing and ultimately created the Performance Group which has appeared at The White House, Walt Disney World, Busch Gardens, The Kennedy Center, Washington Nationals Stadium, and multiple schools, senior centers, pubs, concerts, and festivals. Laura loves the performance side of Irish Dance and just celebrated her ten year anniversary with this special group. She is grateful to the Irish dance community and Morgan Legacy for providing opportunities to share her love of Irish dance and the rich Irish culture.