Born to Irish parents and raised in the United States, the Gardiner brothers grew up using Irish dance as a connection to their heritage. The brothers have won national titles and other awards.
“I think that’s something that has kept Matthew and I so close together was that all of our challenges that we got to go through, whether it was in competition or in training to be lead dancers, we got to do it together, and we were never competing against each other,” Michael Gardiner said during a virtual keynote address for RootsTech 2026.
Traveling back to Galway, Ireland, the brothers met up with their parents and learned how deeply rooted their heritage is in Irish culture.
“Living in America, I think you hold on to your roots more. We’re very proud of being Irish dancers,” Matthew Gardiner said.
Through the FamilySearch Family History Discover Experience, they traveled to Poulacapple, Ireland, where they learned more about their third-great-grandfather Edmond Gardiner. Standing in front of the home where he lived, Matthew Gardiner read, “Your family’s ties to these fields stretch back to at least the 1840s, when Edmond Gardiner, your third-great-grandfather, worked this land during the great famine from 1845-1852.”
The next stop on the brothers’ family history tour was Callan, Ireland, to learn more about their great-grandfather John “Jack” Gardiner. He moved to the town at the age of 24 and purchased Steppes Pub. The brothers visited the pub and saw old photographs of Jack Gardiner.
The impact of Jack Gardiner was greater than they had previously known. A photo of their great-grandfather’s obituary illustrated his impact on the people of the town. The headline read “The King of Callan is dead.” Matthew and Michael’s father commented that Jack Gardiner was very good-natured.
“He worked hard to preserve the Irish culture, sports, including Irish dance, and bring people in the community together,” Matthew Gardiner read from the Family History Discover Experience.
The brothers completed their discovery experience by visiting the grave site for Jack Gardiner and other family members.
