Historical scholarship has interpreted the Public Dance Halls Act, 1935 in a relatively uniform manner. Most works on the subject have emphasised the expanding influence of Catholic church authorities over dancing following the enactment of the legislation, as well as the increasing restrictions placed on the freedom of dancers. The act has been viewed as one element in a sequence of pieces of legislation passed by successive Free State governments that aimed to limit and control citizens, including the Censorship of Films Act, 1923, and the Censorship of Publications Act, 1929. Using previously unexamined Department of Justice records, this article questions the dominant interpretation of the Public Dance Halls Act. It analyses whether dances moved predominantly into parochial halls, as has been the common understanding, and also considers whether the supposedly harsh restrictions imposed on dancers were actually enforced or observed. The article also proposes that two largely unexamined facets of the legislation and its subsequent implementation be given more consideration. Safety concerns played a sizeable part in shaping dancing regulations, as did the interests and worries of local communities. The article concludes by suggesting that lacunae in the historiography of dance halls in the 1930s are emblematic of wider gaps in Irish social and cultural history and recommends avenues for future research.

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1935 年公共舞厅法：重新审查

历史学者以相对统一的方式解释了 1935 年的《公共舞厅法》。大多数关于这一主题的作品都强调了随着立法的颁布，天主教会当局对舞蹈的影响不断扩大，以及对舞者自由的限制越来越多。该法案被视为历届自由州政府通过的旨在限制和控制公民的一系列立法中的一个要素，包括 1923 年的《电影审查法》和 1929 年的《出版物审查法》。使用以前未经审查的司法部记录，本文质疑公共舞厅法的主要解释。它分析了舞蹈是否主要进入教区大厅，正如人们普遍理解的那样，并且还考虑了对舞者施加的所谓严格的限制是否实际上得到了执行或遵守。该文章还建议对立法及其后续实施的两个很大程度上未经审查的方面给予更多考虑。安全问题在制定舞蹈法规方面发挥了相当大的作用，当地社区的利益和担忧也是如此。文章最后指出，1930 年代舞厅史学中的空白是爱尔兰社会和文化历史上更大差距的象征，并为未来的研究提出了建议。安全问题在制定舞蹈法规方面发挥了相当大的作用，当地社区的利益和担忧也是如此。文章最后指出，1930 年代舞厅史学中的空白是爱尔兰社会和文化历史上更大差距的象征，并为未来的研究提出了建议。安全问题在制定舞蹈法规方面发挥了相当大的作用，当地社区的利益和担忧也是如此。文章最后指出，1930 年代舞厅史学中的空白是爱尔兰社会和文化历史上更大差距的象征，并为未来的研究提出了建议。