Riverdance announce Mayo shows

Riverdance have announced a series of shows for the Royal Theatre, Castlebar, Co Mayo this autumn.

The show celebrates its 15th birthday in Ireland by returning to the Home of Riverdance and from September 29, for five shows, Riverdance plays the theatre for only the second time in 15 years.

An initiative from Mayo County Council to celebrate the opening of the visitors' centre at the Ceide Fields archaeological site in 1993, saw the original show participate in the Mayo 5000 concert which took place in the National Concert Hall, Dublin.

Mayo 5000 was produced by Moya Doherty and John McColgan and included a new musical work by composer Bill Whelan called ‘The Spirit of Mayo’.

The show included choral pieces by the choir Anuna and starred Irish dancers Jean Butler, Colin Dunne and Michael Flatley. This team was reunited a few short months later and the rest, as they say, is history.

“This is why its so fitting that Riverdance is performed in Castlebar in the Capital town of Mayo,” said Sandra Hunt of the Royal Theatre

Composed by Bill Whelan, produced by Moya Doherty and directed by John McColgan, Riverdance opened in 1995 in the Point Theatre, Dublin and since then has been experienced live by over 22 million people worldwide.

There have been over 10,000 performances in over 250 venues in 30 countries across 4 continents. In February 1997 the album won a Grammy Award as “Best Musical Show Album”.