Riverdance is a theatrical show that consists mainly of traditional Irish music and dance. With a score composed by Bill Whelan, it originated as an interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, featuring Irish dancing champions Jean Butler, Michael Flatley and the vocal ensemble Anúna. Shortly afterwards, husband and wife production team John McColgan and Moya Doherty expanded it into a stage show, which opened in Dublin on 9 February 1995. Since then, the show has visited over 450 venues worldwide and been seen by over 25 million people, making it one of the most successful dance productions in the world.
Olivia O'Leary is an Irish journalist, writer and current affairs presenter.
Seán O'Sullivan is an Irish sportsman who played Gaelic football for the Kerry senior football team and at club level with Cromane GAA club.
Ciarán Farrell is an Irish composer who has been active in his field since graduating from Trinity College Dublin in 1997. He has composed works for orchestra, ensemble, choir, and solo instruments, as well as for TV and film productions.
John Feeley is an Irish classical guitarist, and a teacher and editor of guitar music.
Raymond Deane is an Irish composer.
Alec O'Leary is the director and founder of the Guitar Festival of Ireland and is widely regarded as one of the foremost guitarists of his generation. He has spent many years studying guitar with John Feeley at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, Dublin, and has had tuition from many distinguished players, such as Manuel Barreuco, Roland Dyens, Scott Tennant, Sergio Assad, Elena Papandreou and Fabio Zannon. O'Leary plays regularly both as a soloist and in ensemble and has performed many times on both national radio and television. He plays guitars made for him by renowned Irish luthier Michael J. O'Leary.
Killian Young is an Irish sportsperson. He plays Gaelic football with his local club Renard GAA, contests the County Championship with divisional side South Kerry, and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 2006 to 2019.
The Dublin Guitar Quartet is an Irish guitar quartet that specialises in the performance of contemporary classical music, particularly music associated with minimalist composers such as Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Arvo Pärt and Kevin Volans. The bulk of their repertoire consists of their own transcriptions of works by these composers. They have also transcribed and performed works by György Ligeti, Igor Stravinsky and Michael Nyman.
Gary O'Toole, M.D., is a retired Irish Olympic swimmer. He represented Ireland at the Seoul, and Barcelona Games.
Michael O'Toole is an Irish classical guitarist.
David Flynn is an Irish composer and musician with a number of major awards and commissions to his name. He is the founder and artistic director of the Irish Memory Orchestra. Many of his works music merge the influence of traditional Irish music with contemporary classical music and jazz. He is also a multi-instrumentalist who works across many genres including classical, jazz, rock and traditional Irish music, with guitar being his main instrument.
Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on 31 December 1961, making it one of the oldest continuously operating public service broadcasters in the world. RTÉ also publishes a weekly listings and lifestyle magazine, the RTÉ Guide.
Adrian Lydon is a reporter/producer for CNN, he previously worked as television reporter for the Nine O'Clock News on Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ).
Ciarán Sweeney is a designer, producer, broadcaster, and writer. He has done works for Madonna, George Michael, Elton John, Pink and Kylie Minogue and Kate Eyre. He has exhibited at The Irish Museum of Modern Art, Royal Dublin Society and Trinity College Dublin.
Paul Mercier is an Irish playwright screenwriter, film and theatre director. Born in Dublin and living in An Cheathrú Rua he was the founder member and Artistic Director of the Passion Machine Theatre Company, and is a Director with Anne Gately of the film production company An Pointe Productions. His work is known for its gritty poetic realism and examination of ordinary, contemporary Irish life.
John McLachlan is an Irish composer.
The Garryhinch ambush was a surprise attack on the Garda Síochána by the Provisional IRA on 16 October 1976. A bomb planted by the IRA in a farmhouse at Garryhinch on the County Laois-County Offaly border in the Republic of Ireland was detonated. Garda Michael Clerkin was killed in the blast, and four other Gardaí at the scene were badly wounded. The incident was one of the few occasions during The Troubles when police officers in the Republic of Ireland were deliberately targeted.
Pavilion Theatre is a theatre, cinema and arts centre in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland.
Jim Doherty is an Irish composer and jazz pianist. He is a member of Aosdána, an elite association of Irish artists.