THE world’s best Irish dancers have jetted into the city to jig their way to medals at the All Scotland Championships.

The Irish dancing competition kicked off yesterday and will run until Sunday at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

This will be the ninth time that the city has hosted the event, generating an estimated £10 million for the local economy.

Nearly 2,000 competitors will take part in the contest representing dance schools from across the world including Scotland, Ireland, France, South Africa, Australia, Canada and the USA. Thousands more spectators, comprising coaches, family and supporters have also made the trip.

The All Scotland Championships in Irish Dance is the last major event on the competitive Irish dancing calendar ahead of the prestigious World Championships event, which takes place in Ireland in April.

In 2002, Glasgow became the first city outside of Ireland to stage The ‘Worlds’ – the largest and most renowned Irish dancing contest – and has since hosted the event in 2007, 2010 and 2016.

Both the All Scotland Championships in Irish Dance and The ‘Worlds’ will return to Glasgow in 2018.