Flatley taps into the Celtic Tiger

THE Celtic Tiger might be an endangered species over here, but try telling that to the 60,000 people, mostly Hungarians, who will be the first to catch a glimpse of Michael Flatley’s new show in Budapest.

The latest dance extravaganza from the self-styled Lord of the Dance is already close to a sell-out at the city's Nepstadion venue on July 9, with a second date on the cards. The Fermoy-based multi-millionaire is also staging a preview performance of his new project to the Strahov Stadion in Prague on July 12, where a further 25,000 people are expected to attend.

Celtic Tiger is according to the bumf something of a history lesson, telling the tale of Ireland's fight for freedom through the medium of dance.

Details of a European and American tour will be released at the end of this month, a press spokesperson said, although an Irish show is likely to take place next year.

"The show itself is a 90-minute dance spectacular, it is very fast moving, powerful, and hard-hitting and I think that it is something that you will have never seen before," said Flatley.

That leaves us with the title, which does seem a little bit '90s.

"It's old hat when it relates to the economic thing, but it's quite a good choice because he really is talking about Irish history and the survival of the Irish spirit," a spokesperson said. "It's quite an ambitious project."