Joan Denise Moriarty is on a mission to bring ballet to conservative Ireland

A new documentary on Joan Denise Moriarty relates how an encounter on St Patrick’s Bridge inspired her in her quest, writes Richard Fitzpatrick

JOAN Denise Moriarty studied her life’s obsession at the Rambert Ballet School in London. While back in Cork on holidays, she found herself on St Patrick’s Bridge one day when a friend asked her what she was up to. She said she was studying ballet. The man was dismissive. “I can’t stand it!” he grunted. “Well, what is it? A man chasing a woman around the stage.”

Moriarty bristled: “I remember thinking — I’ll make you eat those words yet. I’m going to one day come back home and I’m going to start a ballet school and a ballet company and you’ll all accept it.”