Dream voyage with fiddle tunes and flamenco dance

NOBODY can forget that heartstopping seven minutes during Eurovision 1994 when Ireland, quite suddenly, became the centre of the cultural universe. None of us, indeed, could have predicted what would swirl upwards and outwards from that brief entr’acte. But it happened, and a legend was born.

It’s hard to put your finger on what precisely made Riverdance such a worldwide success. If you could, then you’d be in the catbird seat. Husband and wife team John McColgan and Moya Doherty have spent a very busy couple of decades since that night, working on a range of entertainments and TV programmes through their company Tyrone Productions. The All Ireland Talent Show; Jedward’s Dream Factory; Ros na Rún, and more, all stem from this dynamic duo. Their version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? still ranks as one of RTÉ’s highest ever rating shows.

Now, however, they are aiming right for the top. Heartbeat of Home: A Dream Voyage, which receives its world premiere at the Bord Gais Theatre this coming Wed, is a multi-ethnic music and dance spectacular featuring not only traditional Irish, but also Latin and Afro-Cuban music and dance.