Bill Whelan has composed music for theatre, film and orchestra. His 1997 Grammy Award winning music Riverdance continues to be performed around the world. To coincide with the 25th anniversary tour, Bill completed a new studio recording of the music from Riverdance, released by Decca/Universal Records, featuring many of the young musicians who play the music live with the show. He also composed a new score for the feature film, Riverdance: The Animated Adventure. His orchestral works include: The Seville Suite, Spirit Of Mayo, The Connemara Suite and Linen & Lace. His musical settings of the literary works of Irish writers include the poetry of WB Yeats, Paul Muldoon, Derek Mahon, Tom McIntyre, Frank McGuinness and Paul Durcan. His music for film includes scores for Dancing At Lughansa starring Meryl Streep, Some Mother’s Son featuring Helen Mirren and Lamb with Liam Neeson. As a producer in the studio, he has worked with U2, Van Morrison, Kate Bush, Richard Harris, The Dubliners, Planxty, Andy Irvine, Davy Spillane and Bulgarian/Irish band, East Wind. In 2022, his memoir The Road To Riverdance was published, described by Gabriel Byrne as “a fascinating and revealing book about the man and his music.” Bill continues his compositional work, recently completing Stolen Hearts, a work for traditional musicians and symphony orchestra performed by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland at the National Concert Hall in 2024. Bill is a Fellow of the Royal College of Music and holds two honorary doctorates. He is an Honorary Freeman of the City of Limerick, where he was born.

Moya Doherty’s career encompasses the creative industries, theatre, radio and television production and presentation, both in Ireland and internationally. She fronted a number of Arts, Features and documentary programmes for Public Service Media. As Executive Producer, Moya developed a number of charity Telethons, the Eurovision Song Contest and the televising of the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics held in Ireland in 2003. Moya was the Commissioning Producer for Riverdance which premiered at the Eurovision Song Contest of 1994. . Moya has received numerous awards and accolades over the years, including the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and Honorary Doctorates from the University of Ulster, University College Dublin and from the National University of Ireland in recognition of her ongoing commitment and philanthropic contribution to the arts in Ireland.

John McColgan is a multi-awardwinning producer and director. He was Head of Entertainment (RTÉ Television), Head of Weekend Entertainment (ITV/TVAM) and was awarded a Jacob’s Television Award (1980). He played a key role in the evolution of Riverdance from the original seven-minute dance number to the full stage show. He is founding director of Tyrone Productions whose productions include: Quirke (BBC), Beckett on Film (C4), The Hunger (RTE/ARTE), David Brophy’s Choir Series (RTE) and Born to Riverdance (BBC). John served as Chairman of the Abbey Theatre Centenary Committee. He directed a critically acclaimed production of Dion Boucicault’s melodrama The Shaughraun at the Abbey Theatre. He produced a major theatrical event marking the State visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland (2011). John is the director of Heartbeat of Home which premiered in Dublin (2013), toured in North America and China and played in London’s West End (2019). He holds an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the National University of Ireland. John is an accomplished photographer and is an Ambassador for Trócaire, one of Ireland’s largest development agencies. His recent work includes the documentary “This is Palestine” and a book of his photography “Looking at the Same Moon”.

Born in Dublin Ireland, Padraic emigrated to New York when he was nine years old. At the age of twelve he starred as the principal actor in the Off-Broadway production of Grandchild of Kings, directed by Harold Prince. Dancing under the tutelage of Donny Golden, he joined Riverdance in 1997, going on to become Dance Captain and Principal Dancer. He was nominated for an Ovation Award for his leading role in the show. In 2006 he joined the Broadway production of The Pirate Queen as Dance Captain before returning to Riverdance in 2008. He has had the privilege to perform for a number of heads of state and notable individuals from around the world, including Michelle Obama and Queen Elizabeth II. Padraic is also proud to be the Executive Producer/ Director for the international show Heartbeat of Home which has toured China, North America and played for a six-week run in London’s West End. He was Dance Director and a choreographer on Riverdance: The Animated Adventure. Padraic would like to give special thanks to his wife Niamh and children Juliette-
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May and Harrison Rhys, his father, brothers and sister for their continued support. He dedicates all his work to his late mother Christine Moyles.

Since its inception Riverdance has been seen by over 31 million people in 51 countries and the Riverdance family hasn’t stopped growing since that first performance as the interval act at the Eurovision Song contest in 1994. Since then, the show has played over 16,000 performances and featured 1,500 Irish dancers. The various casts of the hit Irish dance show Riverdance have produced 74 marriages and 136 "Riverdance babies" – many of whom have now performed in the show.

Since the first performances in Dublin in 1995

• Riverdance has been seen live by over 31 MILLION PEOPLE worldwide.
• Riverdance has premiered in 606 major cities performing over 16,000 shows in 51 countries across every continent except Antarctica.
• Riverdance has been broadcast to a global audience of over 3.5 billion people.
• There have been six DVDs of Riverdance recorded in Dublin, New York, Geneva and Beijing with global sales of more than 10 million DVDs.
• Over 3 million Grammy Award-winning Riverdance Albums have been sold.
• 1,500 performers from twenty-nine countries have performed with Riverdance.
• There have been 74 marriages within the Riverdance “family” and 136 "Riverdance babies" – many of whom have now performed in the show.
• Riverdance Summer School runs in Dublin and Boston and 2,950 of the next generation of dancers have attended the school since 2015 and learned the iconic Riverdance steps.
• Fun Fact: Riverdance also holds a Guinness World Record for the “Longest Riverdance Line. “with 1693 dancers taking part.

The theme of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest was ‘The River’, as produced by Moya Doherty. Bill Whelan took this theme as a starting point when composing music for that seminal interval act.

Riverdance traces the life of a river.

The invocation sung at the start is called Cloudsong: it is the rain falling, feeding the river, which springs to life and flows through the land and out to sea. There, the cloud reforms and returns to the land, nourishing, renewing and refreshing it. The constant refrain ‘uisce beatha’ translates as ‘water of life’. The number builds from the gentle song to the dancers’ feet rhythmically recalling a river gathering force and rushing to the sea.

The choreography reflects this cycle. The riverwoman dances alone, her soft-shoe dance evoking the flow of the river. As she crosses the land, the earth, represented by the male dancer, awakens and bursts forth onto the stage. As the strength of the river builds, so dancers gather, signifying new life and energy, until the full Riverdance line swells to fill the stage as the river meets the sea. Then earth and river dance in harmony, as the water of life renews the land.

The river, from cloud to sea to cloud again, symbolizes the life cycle, and echoes the Irish experience of emigration and renewal: people who had left their homeland and travelled across the sea, returned in the 1990s to enrich Ireland with their talents and experience gained abroad.

The show as a whole build on this idea, also exploring the way people from different lands enrich the countries they emigrate to, bringing with them their own culture, music and dance.