Lord of the Dance delays wedding over steps

HE may be famous for his flying feet, but Michael Flatley’s latest steps may yet prevent the Lord of the Dance star from holding his lavish wedding at his Cork home.

Flatley wanted to marry fiancée Lisa O’Sullivan at his luxury mansion in Fermoy - but a minor planning problem is preventing the wedding from taking place there.

And the controversy might even force Flatley to sell up and leave the mansion in which he has invested 20m. The dancer is involved in a dispute over plans to build new steps at his opulent Castlehyde residence.

Leading names from the worlds of film, politics, sport and showbiz will attend the bash next year, but the dancing sensation wants new steps built in front of the house first.

“I’d have to put a ladder up to my front window to let people like Bill Clinton in,” he said.

Earlier this year Bord Pleanála overturned a decision by Cork Co Council to allow Flatley alter the entrance. An Taisce argued that a new terrace and balustrade patio were also planned for the historic house.

Castlehyde is a protected structure and is regarded as one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in the south-west.

It was purchased by Flatley more than three years ago but now he says he may leave it all behind.

Speaking from Las Vegas where his latest Lord of the Dance show premiered this week, Flatley said the uncertainty surrounding the house has put his wedding plans on hold.

“I’ve done everything their way and spent millions in places in that house that will never be noticeable to the average person, so the house will live there for hundreds of years after I’m gone.

“The architect and conservationist have asked for what’s right for the house. I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t right,” he said.

The new Lord of the Dance show is set to run in the Venetian Hotel

Resort in Vegas for the next three years. Flatley, who hammered out a 250m deal to bring the show to the states, is now a non-dancing artistic director.

“I had to get planning permission in Las Vegas to change the stage to accommodate my latest show. People would consider this to be the most difficult thing in a city like Las Vegas. It’s not nearly as hard as getting planning for Castlehyde.