IT was as if that horrible Irish tradition of begrudgery had been completely abolished. The crowd at the pre show drinks for the opening night of Lord of the Dance were all fervently hoping that the show would be a flying success. Singer:
Colm Wilkinson, who now lives in Toronto, was home for a visit and spent much of the time locked in conversation with a tanned and relaxed looking Gay Byrne.
It was a packed party singers of all types turned up, including Marianne Faithfull, Linda Martin, Ronnie Drew and Joe Dolan; fellow hoofer Wayne Sleep flew in for the evening; half the male presenters in RTE seemed to be there accompanied by their wives, and as usual Moira Ryan was by far the most stylish woman in the room. Pat Kenny's pale green jacket prompted one of the fashion cognoscenti present to wonder if "he looked like the weatherman from a TV station in Idaho."
Given the week that was in it, there was a group of perfectly groomed marines in sparkling white, who under the guidance of Tom Kane from Ad are Manor were introduced to half the people in the room.
After the show there was a lively party in the Point's restaurant this time the cast were able to join in after their hugely successful performance including a glowing Michael Flatley, who orchestrated the end of show standing ovation and the rounds of applause while strutting across the stage clicking his fingers.