‘Michael Flatley appeared like a rockstar’: how Riverdance gave the jig cool factor

Thirty years ago, Riverdance’s groundbreaking Eurovision interval performance ignited a new generation’s devotion to Irish dancingEvery Irish dancer remembers the first time they watched Riverdance. For many, that bolt from the blue struck 30 years ago when the Eurovision song contest interval act was broadcast across the world on the evening of 30 April 1994. This sensational, seven-minute showcase of the host country’s traditional dance form would upstage the main event and i