Obituary: Fond farewell to a tango dancer extraordinaire
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When it came to the last dance, it was a send-off like no other for 104-year-old tango dancer extraordinaire James McManus.
At the Island Crematorium in Ringaskiddy, Co Cork, the bittersweet occasion bore all the hallmarks of an illustrious talent that brought joy to dancefloors across Ireland and beyond. A Second World War veteran, Jim passed away last Saturday while holding the hand of his beloved daughter Helena.
Celebrant Eimear Burke led the cremation service with some fitting tributes to Ireland’s oldest tango dancer. Ms Burke, who met James at a tango class, recalled the performer fondly.
“I met Jim in 2017 at my first tango class in Waterford,” she told mourners.
“I remember him coming up to the desk where the man was sitting and watching as he opened his shoe bag. Inside the bag was a bottle of ginger beer. He was like the perfect student because he would bring a bottle every week for the teacher.
"I was fascinated by a man of his age, not just because he was dancing the tango but because he was doing these classes two or three nights a week. When he reached 100 I stopped worrying about Jim because he was going to live forever.”
Mr McManus discovered his love for tango dancing aged 30. The foray started a lifelong love affair. One of his dance teachers Kevin Burchill provided comfort to mourners with some words from the legend himself.
Quoting Jim’s advice to guests at his 103rd birthday celebrations he said:
He also quoted Jim as saying: “Tango is very important, actually it’s the most important thing in the world.”
Jim was born in Scotland in 1920 and continued dancing until shortly before his death. The dancer’s mother hailed from Sligo while his father was a native of Fermanagh. Much of his summers were spent in Ireland but after travelling the world with the British navy he eventually chose Waterford as his home.
He captured headlines five years ago after travelling to Argentina to compete in the world championships.
Friends and family delighted in his positive attitude that inspired a nation. The pensioner never failed to astound, having lived independently and driven a car up to a month ago. He always found time for his weekly dance classes. While the sessions undoubtedly kept him active, Jim also put his longevity down to an abstinence from junk food and a positive attitude.
His physical stamina was unrivaled after he danced with 40 women at his 100th birthday party in the Rhu Glenn Hotel in the space of a couple of hours.
Jim appreciated a melting pot of dance genres and had a belly dancer perform at his 95th birthday party.
Declan Roche who attended the cremation service featured on the RTÉ series with Jim last September.
“I knew Jim for 27 years,” he told the . “He used to come to my social classes. That would have been the waltzing and the quick steps even though he specialised in the tango. I used to bring him to some of the social dances. Everyone knew him as Tango Jim'."
“He stayed strong during covid when a lot of people who were 20 or 30 years younger never went back to their activities.
His body got old but his mind and determination never did He described visiting James in hospital days before his passing.
“I told him I would be back again and I played the tango music. I can remember him closing his eyes and moving his hands to the music. The body gave up but the mind was still there.”
The Waterford local danced at every opportunity — sometimes while alone — drawing inspiration from YouTube and other sources.
His effervescence shone through in an interview published in the during lockdown.
“I have been watching a lot of videos on the laptop, I get up and do a little dance on my own if I like it, to keep me in practice,” he said at the time.
He added that dancing was “the only reason” he had lived such a long and extraordinary life.
“I have been dancing for 70 years. I started when I was around 30. I look after myself, I get out and move and I eat lots of vegetables, I practice my dancing and I am a very positive person.”
Mr McManus built up an impressive fanbase over the years and was spotted sporting a rhinestone jacket gifted to him by Dancing with the Stars' Julian Benson at the Lord Mayor’s Afternoon Tea Dance in Cork City Hall last year.
The performer is survived by his daughter Helena and granddaughters Lily, Casey, and Emma. He is also deeply missed by his best friend Hernan, close friends Gerry, Tara, Elina and May, and countless dance partners.