Riverdance veteran to set performance record
An Irish dancer will be going for a record on stage at the Gaiety Theatre this week as she takes part in her 3,025th Riverdance extravaganza.
Niamh O’Connor, 29, from Dublin’s Castleknock, pledged to continue showing off her Irish dancing skills for as long as she is physically able.
“On opening night it will be my 3,025th show, so I have done the most out of everybody as I have been here the longest,” she said. “I am proud of that, I still love it and I am looking forward to this run at the Gaiety. I will keep going.”
Moya Doherty and John McColgan’s musical Riverdance, which shot to fame as a spin-off of a performance at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, is returning to Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre after performing on over 8,000 occasions across four continents.
The Riverdance troupe, which gathered on Dublin’s Ha’penny Bridge today to highlight the new run, gained a new member for their company. An 84-year-old woman showed off her Irish dancing skills in an impromptu performance after spotting the line-up of Riverdance doing a jig on the bridge ahead of the show kicking off tomorrow night (June 8).
Phyllis Dunne from Dublin’s Ballyfermot revealed she could not help but join in – as she loved the show and had the DVD at home.
The sprightly 84-year-old twirled with her shopping bags and did a small jig alongside the professional dancers – who are back in the capital for a short run at the Gaiety Theatre.
“I love it, the Riverdance, I have it at home,” said Mrs Dunne, who had learnt to Irish dance in her youth. “It has changed an awful lot now. We didn’t do any throwing up of our legs.”
Niamh O’Connor, who has been based in the US over the last few months, revealed: “I have been with it for 10 years now. What made me stay is I actually love performing as an Irish dancer travelling all over the world representing Ireland. I am so proud to be part of it.”
She said the dance troupe was like a close family – as they spent so much time together constantly moving to new theatres each week.
“A lot of my friends are on the show, friends I have had since I was a kid and gone to Irish dancing with, so it is nice to be on tour with your friends and you get to see everywhere,” the dancer, who is studying for a degree in Interior Design, said.
After first starting dancing at age four, O’Connor went on to join Riverdance rehearsals aged 18.
The dancer said: “I have travelled to almost every country that I have ever imagined.
“From one end of the world to another. More than I have ever dreamed of.”
She said that despite its lengthy run there was always something new in the two-and-a-half hour show for the audience.
“We have new members of the company, it changes around. The projections are always new, and costumes changing all the time. There is always something fresh,” she added.
“We are constantly improving it, and you learn as the years go by.”
