I am a dancer, choreographer, and academic whose career spans decades of innovative work in Irish dance. As Artistic Director and choreographer of Ériu Dance Company, I am committed to exploring the poetic and dramatic potential of Irish dance, creating works that push the boundaries of tradition within a contemporary context. Among my most notable creations are Countless Cathleens, The House of Bernardó Alba, The Village, Walls Talk, Salómae, Aon, Lïnger, Rite of Spring, and Noċtú.
In 2010/11, my production Noċtú enjoyed a five-week residency at the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York, earning two Drama Desk Award nominations for “Outstanding Choreography” and “Unique Theatrical Event” in 2012. My second work, a reimagining of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, premiered at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in 2012 before an audience of 14,000 and received a nomination for the Allianz Business to Arts Awards. Since then, the piece has been performed at prestigious events such as the Cork Midsummer Festival and the Earagail Arts Festival (2018), and the International Festival of Arts “Diaghilev. P.S.” in St. Petersburg in 2019.
After a 12-year hiatus, I returned to the stage in 2016 with Lïnger. Premiering at Project Arts Centre in Dublin, the production toured extensively in Ireland and internationally, with performances at venues such as the Edinburgh Fringe (where it was shortlisted for a Total Theatre and The Place Award for Dance), the Jack Crystal Theater in New York, Théatro Sofia in Bulgaria, and Aix-en-Provence in France.
Ériu’s subsequent works continue to captivate audiences. Aon debuted in 2017 at the Earagail Arts Festival before embarking on a national tour. In 2019, I adapted Oscar Wilde’s Salómae for the stage, which premiered at the Galway International Arts Festival and incorporated dance, music, and the Irish language. Walls Talk, created in collaboration with blues/jazz singer Gina Boreham, premiered in 2020 at Project Arts Centre Dublin and toured Ireland in 2022, with further performances at the Edinburgh Fringe and Féile Oslo in 2024.
Recent projects include The Village, which premiered in 2022 at the Black Box Theatre Galway and was later performed at the Earagail Arts Festival and Berlin Irish Fest in 2024. My reinterpretation of Lorca’s The House of Bernardó Alba, featuring male performers in traditionally female roles, premiered at the Galway Theatre Festival in 2023.
My academic contributions are equally groundbreaking. In 2013, I completed the world’s first performance-based doctorate in Irish dance, titled Imeall-Siúl: A Choreographic Exploration of Expressive Possibilities in Irish Dance. I also hold an MA in Ethnochoreology, served as Course Director for the Arts Practice PhD programme (2012/13), and currently direct the BA Irish Dance and the MA Irish Dance Performance at the University of Limerick. From 2004 to 2008, I was the external examiner for the MA in Traditional Irish Dance Performance at the university.
As a dancer, my career began with Riverdance, where I toured from 1994 to 2003, spending seven years as a principal dancer. I returned to Riverdance in 2007 as Dance Director. I also broadened my expertise through a scholarship to the Gus Giordano Dance Academy in Chicago, where I studied ballet, modern, jazz, and tap.
I have held residencies as Artist in Residence at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance (2008/09) and in County Cavan (2011/12). Beyond dance, I have presented television programs for RTÉ and TG4, acted in the TG4 soap opera Ros na Rún, and hold a B.Sc. (Hons) in Physics.
Looking ahead, I am developing several new projects, including Every Silver Lining, a bittersweet duet exploring self-confrontation and sobriety; Manly Men, a dance-theatre piece challenging Western hegemonic discourses surrounding the Irish dancing male body; and Decland, a solo performance on bereavement and finding meaning. Ériu also nurtures young talent through its youth branch, Na Mic Ua gCorra, in partnership with the Earagail Arts Festival.
My work continues to reshape the landscape of Irish dance, offering fresh perspectives and deep artistic exploration to audiences worldwide.